An innovative school-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles

Abstract

Objective: To describe an innovative school-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles. To evaluate its effects on children’s food habits and to highlight the key components which contribute most to the beneficial effects obtained from children’s, teachers’ and parents’ perspectives. Design: An educational tool to improve personal awareness, promote healthy food choices and increase children’s levels of physical activity was developed and evaluated. The tool used a community-based approach and included family members, schools, university, families, sports societies, farms, mass media and municipalities. Setting: A total of 11 primary school classes in five schools in Spoleto, Umbria. Methods: The tool dealt with healthy food choices, lifestyle and physical activities and is structured in four phases (4 months). The Kidmed test (a validated index based on principles sustaining Mediterranean dietary patterns as well as those that undermine them) and open-ended questionnaires (to highlight the key components which contributed most to the beneficial effects) were used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Kidmed scores were evaluated both before and after intervention (T0–T1) and the written answers collected (from teachers, parents and children) were subjected to content analysis using a form of grounded theory. Results: Data point to a significant before/after increase on Kidmed scores ( t = −3.88; p = .000), revealing an increase in children’s adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, healthy habit changes, greater parental awareness of their educational responsibilities regarding food choices as well as physical activity, and a new school-family alliance as a result of the educational intervention. Conclusion: Project findings reveal positive effects on children’s food habits and highlight key components necessary to enhance the effectiveness of a school-based educational intervention.

Intervenções educativas na promoção da alimentação saudável em escolares

“…It is known, in relation to the types of technologies used in the articles analyzed, that light and light-hard technologies were observed [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and hard. 14,16,20,22,23,30 Light technologies are characterized by the use of structured knowledge and were evidenced by educational interventions such as nutritional orientation, food products tasting, systematic meetings with parents and motivational training, as well as music.…”

“…12 The themes were categorized from the content analysis 13 in: Food practices healthy; Prevention of overweight and obesity; Food and nutrition security. It is described among the 17 articles in the final sample, 15 were written in the English language; [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] one in Spanish 23 and one, in Portuguese. 26 As regards the year of publication, three were published in 2017; 20 three in 2016; 16,19,23 two, in 2015, 17,24 three, in the year 2013; 18,21,25 four, in 2012 22, and two, in 2011.…”

“…[29][30] No articles were published in the year 2014. Four databases were indexed in PubMed / Medline; 14,16,21,30 one, in the Cinahl database; 15 two, in the Web of Science; 17,24 four in PUBMED / MEDLINE and Scopus; 18, four, were indexed in Scopus; [19][20]23,28 two were indexed in the databases PUBMED / MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, COCHRANE. 22,29 No articles found in the Lilacs, Ibecs, Bdenf, Cuiden and SciELO virtual libraries.…”

“…As to the level of evidence, ten articles were classified in level II; 14,16,25,[28][29][30] three were classified in level III; 15,20,27 one was classified at level V 24 and three were classified at level VI. 17,23,26 The articles were divided into three categories, according to the themes addressed: Healthy eating practices; Prevention of overweight and obesity; [19][20][21][22] Food and nutrition security.…”

“…17,23,26 The articles were divided into three categories, according to the themes addressed: Healthy eating practices; Prevention of overweight and obesity; [19][20][21][22] Food and nutrition security. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] It is complemented, in relation to the type of technology, that all articles used light and hard-light technologies [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and six articles used hard technology. 14,16,20,30 The educational interventions used to promote healthy eating in schoolchildren were classified as: self-administered structured questionnaire; 16,23 intervention program of physical activity and / or nutrition; [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]…”