A systematic review of the effect of nutrition education intervention on dietary behaviours among adolescent girls in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract Background Adolescent girls in South and Southeast Asia experience significant challenges related to poor dietary behaviours. Although nutrition education (NE) interventions have shown potential to influence adolescents’ dietary behaviours, no comprehensive review has synthesised evidence on their effectiveness among adolescent girls in these regions. Objective This review aimed to assess and synthesise existing evidence on the impact of NE interventions on dietary behaviours among adolescent girls in South and Southeast Asia. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and CINAHL Complete, with the most recent updates on 16 May 2025. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled before-after (CBA) studies evaluating the effect of NE, either as a standalone intervention or as part of a multicomponent intervention, on dietary behaviour among adolescent girls aged 10–19 years in South and Southeast Asia were included. Of 5,261 records identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted, and the results were synthesised narratively. Results All seven included studies reported multiple outcomes; two evaluated NE-only interventions, while five assessed multi-component interventions incorporating NE. Three studies were assessed as having a high risk of bias, two had some concerns, and the remaining two had a low risk of bias. Despite substantial heterogeneity in intervention design, outcome measures, and study quality, all studies reported that NE interventions improved dietary behaviours, such as dietary diversity, fruit and vegetable intake, and overall nutrient consumption, among adolescent girls in South and Southeast Asia. Conclusion This review revealed that NE interventions, delivered either alone or as part of multicomponent interventions, can effectively improve dietary behaviours among adolescent girls in South and Southeast Asia. However, the frequent presence of high risk of bias or methodological concerns highlights the need for more robustly designed and transparently reported studies to strengthen the evidence base.