EATING HABITS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN: A REPORT OF A HEALTH EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Abstract

It is an evidence that physiopathology alteration of cardiovascular and metabolic illnesses are developing earlier today as in childhood and adolescence. This emphasizes the importance of health promoting and prevention by primary health care. Thus school becomes a strategic scenario for these practices.

The goal of this work is to report an experience of health education in school environment. It based on socio-demographic and lifestyle information regarding eating and exercise habits from a fifth grade classroom of a public school in Rio de Janeiro city in 2007. This is a descriptive study of longitudinal cohort, with quantitative approach; it was made in two distinct stages. The First one was a gathering of student health education data and the implementation of a health promoting activity. The second stage was realized 10 months later, its goal was to evaluate possible impacts of the initial stage. All the data was collected from a semi-structured questionnaire.

The educational activities were implemented in four different meetings. Their focus was on healthy diet versus non-healthy diet and their consequences on human body. All four meetings used participative approach centered on the students and its eating habits. This approach used group dynamics in order to increase student participation, knowledge, perspective and to put information into practice. The meeting activities were evaluated by the students and the evaluation was positive. Ten months later another meeting was organized to verify the initial activities impact on the students. They had a positive impression of the encounters, reported positive changes on health habits. Although the results were positive they only represent the first steps of a long journey. They also remind us the complexity of changing lifestyle habits and the need of a continuous and longitudinal approach to health education.