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Federici G, Marcotrigiano V, Bino E, Lovat A, Padoin A, Salerno G, D’Incà P, Napoli C, Cinquetti S. Healthy Snack Project: Improving Healthy Choices through Multidisciplinary Food Education Actions. Nutrients 2024; 16:255. [PMID: 38257147 PMCID: PMC10818516 DOI: 10.3390/nu16020255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
School is one of the main settings where it is useful to guarantee health promotion actions, as it is well known that diet and eating habits that are shaped in the early stages of life are maintained through adulthood. The objective of this study was to carry out the "Healthy Snack" project to promote nutritional education in primary schools in the Province of Belluno in the 2022-2023 school year, in which 925 students were enrolled, and to evaluate the intervention in terms of changes in eating habits during their school breaks. Following the workshops performed by the healthcare workers (HCWs), medals were awarded, taking into account the quality of the participating students' mid-morning snacks, considering the food pyramid. The results collected in the annual survey period were related to the type and quantity of snacks consumed at school, and allowed students to gain a final score, comparing the period before and after the educational intervention to demonstrate the effectiveness of the actions promoted by HCWs and the increased nutritional quality of meals. In light of this evidence, public health strategies must continue to emphasize the importance of implementing health promotion interventions and actions aimed at children in order to prevent weight gain in this age group, and the potential development of cardiometabolic pathologies over their lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Federici
- Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Screening Programs and Health Promotion Service, Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy; (G.F.); (A.L.); (A.P.)
| | | | - Erica Bino
- Epidemiology Service, Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy;
| | - Alberto Lovat
- Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Screening Programs and Health Promotion Service, Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy; (G.F.); (A.L.); (A.P.)
| | - Angela Padoin
- Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Screening Programs and Health Promotion Service, Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy; (G.F.); (A.L.); (A.P.)
| | - Gerardo Salerno
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs “NESMOS”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy;
| | - Pamela D’Incà
- Communication Office, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy;
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Sandro Cinquetti
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “ULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy;
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