Nutrition Education in Chilean Primary Schools

The purpose of this study was to incorporate nutrition education in Chilean primary schools. The baseline information included nutritional status, food consumption and physical activity of 1,701 children from 3rd to 7th grade in ten urban and rural schools. Main results showed a high prevalence of obesity (15.4%) and overweight (19.6%), low consumption of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, high intake of snacks and a low level of physical activity, especially in girls. Because the Ministry of Education does not allow the incorporation of new programs into the curriculum, the educational strategy was based on the development of a text book, a teacher's guide, five practical guides for students from third to eighth grade and a CD-Rom. These materials were validated by 36 teachers in six schools through an educational intervention. Teachers and students considered the educational materials useful, motivational and easy to understand. This program is being implemented in 57 schools.

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Health and Nutrition Education in Elementary Schools: Changes in health knowledge, nutrient intakes and physical activity over a six year period

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980099000610 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 2 (3a) ◽

pp. 445-448 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Yannis Manios ◽

Anthony Kafatos

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Nutrition Intervention ◽

Control Group ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Health And Nutrition

AbstractObjective:To examine the effects of a health and nutrition intervention, implemented in primary schools of Crete, on health knowledge, nutrient intakes and physical activity of the intervention population.Methods:The intervention group consisted of 24 schools while the control group consisted of 16 schools. The overall duration of the intervention was six years, while the topics of the intervention primarily focused on children' dietary habits, physical activity and fitness.Results:After the completion of the intervention period, the changes observed in health knowledge, nutrient intakes and physical activity were in favour of the intervention group pupils.Conclusion:The encouraging findings of the study indicate the potential of the programme in health promotion and disease prevention without involving substantial new school resources and time.

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Improving the Metabolic and Mental Health of Children with Obesity: A School-Based Nutrition Education and Physical Activity Intervention in Wuhan, China

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12010194 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 194

Author(s):

Hong-jie Yu ◽

Fang Li ◽

Yong-feng Hu ◽

Chang-feng Li ◽

Shuai Yuan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Plasma Glucose ◽

Fasting Plasma Glucose ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Post Intervention ◽

School Based ◽

Fasting Plasma

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition education and physical activity intervention on cardiovascular risk profile and mental health outcomes among Chinese children with obesity. Two primary schools were randomly allocated to the control group (CG) and the intervention group (IG). We selected children with obesity from 1340 students in the third and fourth grades as participants. The IG received 8 months of nutrition education and physical activity intervention, while the CG was waitlisted. A generalized estimating equation model was applied to assess repeated variables over time. A total of 171 children with obesity (99 IG and 72 CG) aged 9.8 ± 0.7 years completed the post-intervention stage. Compared with baseline, significant reductions were observed within the IG for depression and fasting plasma glucose at post-intervention. After adjusting for confounders, group and time interaction effects showed that the IG achieved improvements in the risk of poor well-being (p = 0.051) and social anxiety (p = 0.029), had decreased diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.020) and fasting plasma glucose (p < 0.001), and had significantly increased high-density lipoprotein (p < 0.001) from baseline to post-intervention relative to the CG. The effects of school-based nutrition education and physical activity intervention on children with obesity are diverse, including not only the improvement of metabolic health but also mental health promotion.

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The Analysis of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Habits among Children Aged 6–10 Years Old Attending Primary Schools in Poland

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19020953 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 953

Author(s):

Magdalena Potempa-Jeziorowska ◽

Paweł Jonczyk ◽

Elżbieta Świętochowska ◽

Marek Kucharzewski

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Status ◽

Family Involvement ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Dairy Products ◽

Mineral Water ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Statistical Software ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

Brown Bread

A high prevalence of obesity among children is influenced by serious implications. Obesity mainly results from behavioral factors, such as improper dietary habits. This study aims to evaluate the nutritional status and dietary habits of children aged 6–10 (n = 908) attending primary schools in Poland, Europe. The research tool was a questionnaire that was completed by one of the children’s parents. A statistical analysis was made using statistical software. The value of p = 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. A total of 74.7% of children surveyed have a normal body mass. As many as 91.7% and 76.6% of children, respectively, eat a first and second breakfast daily. Nearly half of parents (48.9%) state that their child consumes milk or other dairy products daily. A total of 74.3% of children drink water daily. A total of 27.6% eats fish less frequently than once a week. A total of 7.6% of children eat fish several times a week. As many as 20.6% of the respondents state that their child eats brown bread several times a week, whereas 19.9% state that their child never eats brown bread. A total of 55.1% of children eat fruits and/or vegetables daily. A total of 14.1% of children surveyed consume sweets daily. The study revealed a positive correlation between BMI and the frequency of mineral water consumption (p = 0.013) in 9 y.o. girls. It was also revealed that the number of consumed fruit/vegetables increases with the BMI value among 10 y.o. boys (p = 0.044). Conclusions: The dietary habits of the investigated children are still improper. There is a great need for education on this issue, but family involvement is also required.

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Health and nutrition education in primary schools in Crete: 10 years' follow-up of serum lipids, physical activity and macronutrient intake

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn20051666 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 95 (3) ◽

pp. 568-575 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Yannis Manios ◽

Anthony Kafatos ◽

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Serum Lipids ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Nutrition Intervention ◽

Intervention Period ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Health And Nutrition

The current study is a 4-year follow-up after the 6-year-long health and nutrition intervention programme applied in the primary schools of Crete. The aim of the current work was to identify whether the benefits obtained in certain health indices at the end of the intervention period were also present 4 years later. From a representative population of 441 pupils (250 from the intervention schools and 191 from the control schools), biochemical, dietary and physical activity data were obtained at baseline, at the end of the intervention period and after intervention (academic years 1992–1993, 1997–1998 and 2001–2002, respectively). The findings of the current study revealed that the favourable changes in serum lipids observed at the end of the intervention period were maintained from baseline to after intervention for total cholesterol (−24·3 (SE 1·65)V. −9·70 (SE 2·03) mg/dl;P=0·001), LDL-cholesterol (−18·6 (SE 1·41)V. −2·49 (SE 1·75) mg/dl;P<0·001), HDL-cholesterol (−8·34 (SE 0·75)V. −9·60 (SE 1·10) mg/dl;P=0·014) and total cholesterol:HDL-cholestrol ratio (0·31 (SE 0·06)V. 0·04 (SE 0·05);P=0·001). Similar favourable changes for the intervention group were observed in leisure-time physical activities (38·3 (SE 11·7)V. −13·2 (SE 10·9) min/week;P=0·038) and BMI (6·05 (SE 0·18)V. 6·67 (SE 0·21) kg/m2;P=0·014), whereas no changes were observed in the fitness and dietary indices examined. The findings of the current study are encouraging, indicating maintenance of the favourable changes observed in serum lipids, BMI and physical activity 4 years after the programme had ended

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National trends in cardiovascular health metrics among Iranian adults using results of three cross-sectional STEPwise approaches to surveillance surveys

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79322-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fatemeh Rahmani ◽

Samaneh Asgari ◽

Davood Khalili ◽

Ali Siamak Habibi Moeini ◽

Maryam Tohidi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiovascular Health ◽

Activity Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Current Smoking ◽

The Public ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

Study Population ◽

National Trends

AbstractTo examine the trends of 7 cardiovascular health metrics (CVH metrics) incorporate of smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), and blood pressure (BP) level during three cross-sectional STEPwise approaches to surveillance (STEPS), 2007–2016, among Iranian adults. The study population consisted of 19,841 women and 17,243 men, aged 20–65 years. The CVH metrics were categorized as ‘ideal’, ‘intermediate’, and ‘poor’. The sex-stratified weighted prevalence rate of each CVH metrics was reported. The conditional probability of each poor versus combined intermediate and ideal metric was analyzed using logistic regression. In 2016 compared to 2007, the prevalence of poor BP level (20.4% vs. 23.7%), smoking (13.7% vs. 23.8%), TC ≥ 240 mg/dl (2.4% vs. 11.2%) and FPG < 100 mg/dl (75.6% vs. 82.3%) declined, whereas poor physical activity level (49.7% vs. 30%), poor healthy diet score (38.1% vs. 4.1%), BMI levels ≥ 25 kg/m2 (62.8% vs. 57.8%) increased. Despite a high prevalence of obesity among women, it remained constant in women but showed an increasing trend in men; moreover, the trends of low physical activity and current smoking were better for women. Despite some improvement in CVH metrics, < 4% of Iranian adults meet ≥ 6 CVH metrics in 2016; this issue needs intervention at the public health level using a multi-component strategy.

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Nutritional status, physical activity and associated nutrition knowledge of primary school learners

Nutrition and Health ◽

10.1177/0260106020910625 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 115-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tavonga M Muderedzwa ◽

Tonderayi M Matsungo

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Primary School ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Nutrition Knowledge ◽

World Health ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Double Burden

Background: Nutrition education has the potential to improve eating habits, physical activity and nutritional status of schoolchildren. Aim: This study aimed to determine the nutritional status, physical activity levels and the associated nutrition knowledge of primary school learners aged 9–14 years in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among learners ( n = 368) from eight primary schools. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, nutrition knowledge and physical activity data. The weights and heights were measured using World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Pearson chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to assess association between categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the determinants of wasting and overweight. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Overweight, wasting and stunting affected 25.8%, 6.3% and 3% of the learners, respectively. Only 52.7% of the learners achieved the WHO recommended 60 minutes of physical activity. The mean±standard deviation nutrition knowledge score of the learners was 70.3±10.9%. Stunted children were more likely to be wasted (odds ratio (OR) = 4.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–17.8; p = 0.039). Inadequate dietary diversity score (OR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.22–0.87; p = 0.018) and using non-active forms of transportation (OR = 2.69; 95% CI 1.52–4.76; p = 0.001) were a significant predictor of overweight among the learners. Conclusions: Overweight was the leading form of malnutrition, coexisting with undernutrition, reflecting the presence of a ‘double burden of malnutrition’. Therefore, comprehensive and multi-sectoral interventions to improve healthy eating and physical activity are warranted.

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High Prevalence of Obesity in Low Income and Multiethnic Schoolchildren: A Diet and Physical Activity Assessment

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1093/jn/127.12.2310 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 127 (12) ◽

pp. 2310-2315 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Louise Johnson-Down ◽

Jennifer O'Loughlin ◽

Kristine G. Koski ◽

Katherine Gray-Donald

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Physical Activity Assessment ◽

Activity Assessment ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity

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High Prevalence of Obesity but Low Physical Activity in Children Aged 9–11 Years in Beijing

Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Targets and Therapy ◽

10.2147/dmso.s319583 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Volume 14 ◽

pp. 3323-3335

Author(s):

Meijuan Liu ◽

Bingyan Cao ◽

Min Liu ◽

Xuejun Liang ◽

Di Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity

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Effect of Comprehensive Interventions Including Nutrition Education and Physical Activity on High Blood Pressure among Children: Evidence from School-Based Cluster Randomized Control Trial in China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17238944 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (23) ◽

pp. 8944

Author(s):

Haiquan Xu ◽

Yanping Li ◽

Xianwen Shang ◽

Songming Du ◽

Qian Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

High Blood Pressure ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Control Group ◽

School Based ◽

Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Childhood hypertension has increasingly become a public health problem globally. However, limited literature research examined the effect of comprehensive interventions including nutrition education and physical activity on blood pressure among children. A total of 6764 children aged 7–13 years were analyzed based on a multicenter randomized controlled trial for comprehensive interventions in 30 primary schools in China to evaluate the effects on blood pressure, which lasted for two semesters. The standards used for the diagnosis of high blood pressure were the cut-off points based on age and sex for Chinese children. Compared with the control group, the intervention effects were −0.5 mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI): −1.1, 0; p = 0.064) for diastolic blood pressure and −0.9 mmHg (95% CI: −1.5, −0.3; p = 0.005) for systolic blood pressure. For the incidence of high blood pressure, the changes were −1.4% in the intervention group and 0.4% in the control group (1.8% difference between the two groups, p = 0.015) after trial. The school-based comprehensive interventions appeared to have moderate effects on high blood pressure prevention among children in China.

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Low interest in physical activity and higher rates of obesity among rural teachers

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-203351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 1015-1022

Author(s):

Pablo A. Lizana ◽

Jocelyn Aballay ◽

German Vicente-Rodríguez ◽

Alejandro Gómez-Bruton

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Intervention Studies ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Working Hours ◽

Rural Teachers ◽

Work Overload ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

The Relationship

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the causes of physical inactivity in rural teachers from South America. Determining the causes and effects of physical inactivity in rural teachers could be the base for future intervention studies aiming to improve physical activity (PA) engagement in this population. OBJECTIVES: To examine the levels of PA in rural teachers and evaluate the associations between their jobs, interest in PA, body composition and practice of PA. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) and body fat % (BF) of rural teachers from the Valparaiso Region in Chile were measured; interviews regarding PA habits, interests and PA practice were conducted. The relationship between BF% and interest in PA and the practice of sports was analysed stratifying by sex. RESULTS: Around 71% were overweight/obese and 80% of the teachers reported not practicing any PA. These figures are higher than the Chilean national average for adults (64.5% overweight/obese). Moreover, females presented a higher BF% than male teachers (35.98% vs. 26.44%, p < 0.05). The main causes of not performing PA were: firstly, the lack of time (51.8%), and secondly, fatigue after work and/or finishing work late. In addition, rural teachers claim that in their free time they continue to finish tasks that they were not able to complete during their working hours. CONCLUSIONS: Rural Chilean teachers show a high prevalence of obesity and low PA levels. Moreover, rural teachers have a work overload stemming from their jobs, and this could be an important link to an overall sedentary lifestyle. Further studies should focus on the relationship between teacher obesity, physical activity, nutrition and work overload.

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