Brief Report: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Remote-Based Nutrition Education Program for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A COVID-19 Pilot Study.
Riley H Shurack, Jeanette M Garcia, Keith Brazendale and 1 others
PMID 34611836WHAT IT FOUND
Ten adolescents with autism found a four-week remote nutrition program acceptable and feasible.
High attendance and positive feedback from students, parents, and teachers suggest Zoom is a viable delivery method, though efficacy on eating habits was not tested.
Key findings
01The remote program had a 97% attendance rate, with only one participant absent from any session.
02Participants reported high acceptability, with 100% agreeing the sessions helped them learn and 90% feeling the program was effective.
03Parents and teachers noted increased interest in nutrition and suggested that the remote format may benefit students with greater social difficulties.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had a very small sample size of ten participants. The intervention duration was short, lasting only four weeks. There was no control group, so it is impossible to know if the outcomes were due to the program or other factors. The study measured feasibility and acceptability, not actual changes in nutritional status or health outcomes.
Declared interests
Funded by the Healthy Weight Research Network.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the participants' reports of better eating habits as proof the program works. The study was a feasibility pilot with no control group and did not measure objective health outcomes.