{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T05:48:05Z","timestamp":1782193685637,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782172800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n Obesity among adolescents has become a global public health concern. Previous studies have shown that multidimensional interventions, such as school-based programs, health education, and guidance on diet and physical activity, effectively improve obesity in adolescents. However, there is a lack of research on bilingual health education interventions in minority language environments in rural and pastoral areas of China. Based on a 2023 field survey of students from three Mongolian middle schools in Ar Horqin Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, this study evaluated the effect of a 6-month Mongolian\u2013Chinese bilingual health education intervention on obese adolescents' BMI\n Z<\/jats:italic>\n -scores, dietary behaviors, and biochemical indicators (fasting blood glucose, insulin, and blood lipids).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Baseline data, including height, weight, and a dietary behavior questionnaire, were collected from 2,210 Mongolian middle school students, of whom 155 obese students were screened out. A 6-month bilingual health-education intervention was implemented for the 155 obese students, with content covering guidance on a rational diet, cultivation of healthy behaviors, and moderate exercise training. Before and after the intervention, the participants underwent height and weight measurements, fasting blood sampling, and completed questionnaires. This study evaluated the intervention effects by examining changes in BMI\n Z<\/jats:italic>\n -scores, dietary behaviors, and glucose and lipid-related biomarkers (including fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)) among obese students pre- and post-intervention.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Among 2,210 adolescents, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.12 and 7.01%, respectively (combined 20.13%). These rates were significantly higher among males and junior high school students (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001). The obesity rate is higher in males than in females (OR = 1.883, 95%CI: 1.338 ~ 2.650). Adolescent obesity was significantly associated with parental obesity (OR = 1.847, 95% CI: 1.172 ~ 2.996), specific dietary behaviors (e.g., frequent midnight snacking), reduced physical activity (OR = 2.262, 95% CI: 1.254 ~ 4.081), prolonged sleep duration (OR = 1.622, 95% CI: 1.148 ~ 2.291), and severe body dissatisfaction (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05). A 6-month health education intervention conducted on 111 adolescents with obesity (44 cases were missing due to various reasons) improved their health awareness, dietary choices, exercise habits, and sleep patterns (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05). Additionally, compared with baseline and 6 months, changes in BMI\n Z<\/jats:italic>\n -scores in males were statistically significant at 3 months (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05). The intervention significantly improved metabolic profiles: fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and LDL-C levels were significantly reduced (all\n P<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05), and the prevalence of abnormal LDL-C and total cholesterol dropped to 0% at the 6-month follow-up.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n Bilingual health education effectively improved dietary behavior and metabolic indicators in adolescents with obesity. Although the 6-month intervention did not significantly alter overall BMI\n Z<\/jats:italic>\n -scores, the short-term decrease observed exclusively in males suggests a potentially beneficial effect on weight management. Ultimately, sustainable obesity prevention and control require collaborative efforts from the government, schools, and families.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1787774","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T05:26:16Z","timestamp":1782192376000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effectiveness of bilingual health education on obesity and dietary behaviors in Mongolian adolescents: a six-month intervention study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Hanhua","family":"Sai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Inner Mongolia Medical University","place":["Hohhot, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hailing","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Inner Mongolia Medical University","place":["Hohhot, 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