Ultra-processed Food Consumption and Behavioral Disorder and Cognitive Function

China Medical University Hospital154 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this interventional study is to determine whether reducing ultra-processed food consumption in children and adolescents can improve cognitive function. The main question it aims to answer is: Does reducing ultra-processed food consumption through online nutritional education improve cognitive function in children and adolescents with attention difficulties? Researchers will compare a nutritional education group to a non-intervention group to assess whether reducing ultra-processed food intake leads to cognitive improvement. Participants will: Attend a weekly online nutritional education course for 12 weeks Be encouraged to replace ultra-processed foods with whole foods

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

154

Conditions

ADD/ADHD

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 10 YearsMax age: 15 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 10-15 years old * Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or identified as having learning difficulties based on a specialist's or teacher's recommendation. * \>=six types or six servings of ultra-processed foods daily Exclusion Criteria: \- Younger than 10 years old or older than 15 years old

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Cognitive function

Cognitive function will be assessed using selected tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), covering multiple cognitive domains. CANTAB does not provide a single total score; each task generates task-specific outcome measures. Higher accuracy scores and lower reaction times or error rates generally indicate better cognitive performance.

Time frame: Baseline and after the intervention (at 12 weeks)