Abstract / Summary
Obesity is an important public health concern among children and adolescents. Effective weight management generally requires dietary modification, nutrition education, physical activity, and continued behavioral support. This study developed and evaluated Korat crispy chicken sticks (K) as a dietary component of a multicomponent weight management program for adolescents with obesity, with commercial chicken sticks (C) as the comparator. A mixture design was used to optimize the product formulation, and a reduced-sugar formulation was selected. The selected product had a hardness of 1548.52 ± 321.25 g, crispness of 54.00 ± 13.23 fracture peaks, water activity of 0.407 ± 0.001, and protein content of 56.90 ± 0.75% on a dry weight basis. Sensory evaluation showed significant differences between the tested products regarding color, aroma, texture, and overall liking (all p < 0.05), but no significant difference in flavor. A preliminary randomized controlled trial was conducted among 38 adolescents with obesity. Participants were randomly allocated to the K group (n = 20) or C group (n = 18) for at least two months. Both groups received the same nutrition education, dietary energy restriction, physical activity recommendations, and telemedicine follow-up. No formal a priori sample size calculation was performed; therefore, the clinical findings were considered exploratory. Both groups showed small reductions in body weight and BMI. BMI decreased by 0.90% in the K group and 1.05% in the C group; neither within-group change was statistically significant. LDL cholesterol decreased from 104.35 ± 17.06 to 101.78 ± 20.70 mg/dL in the K group, but the within-group change was not statistically significant (p = 0.894). In contrast, LDL cholesterol increased from 112.71 ± 24.40 to 123.81 ± 28.34 mg/dL in the C group (p = 0.046). The unadjusted comparison of post-intervention LDL values differed between the groups (p = 0.009), but this finding does not demonstrate a statistically significant LDL reduction within the K group. MDA levels decreased in both groups, but the changes were not statistically significant. These preliminary findings indicate that Korat crispy chicken sticks may be feasible as a dietary component of a multicomponent weight management program. However, the study did not establish an independent effect of the Korat product on BMI, LDL cholesterol, or oxidative stress. Larger adequately powered randomized controlled trials using prespecified outcomes and baseline-adjusted between-group analyses are required.