Abstract
Nutritional condition impacts academic performance and cognitive development. In Peru, the prevalence of chronic undernutrition in children is 6.9%, increasing the risk of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to develop an educational intervention to achieve an improvement in the healthy habits of children in a primary education school in Lima who live in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. We conducted a prospective quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study of an educational intervention. The information was collected through the adaptation of the WHO questionnaire “Global School-based Student Health Survey” (GSHS), with anthropometric variables, socioeconomic level, hygiene and eating habits. One hundred eight students from 5 to 13 years old from Arenitas del Mar School in Lima (Peru) participated. The educational intervention improved eating habits. Fruit and vegetable consumption 3 or more times/day (50.9%) increased after the educational intervention (49% vs. 62.9%,) p < 0.0001. There was an improvement in hygiene habits, such as the frequency of handwashing with soap (32.4% vs. 63.9%) and the frequency of weekly bathing 4–6 times/week (25% vs. 47.5%) p < 0.0001. The educational intervention promoted better healthy living behaviors, eating habits and hygiene. This kind of initiative is a crucial tool to establish healthy living habits.
Highlights
Published: 23 April 2021The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes as a priority the right of children to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health
For all the above reasons, the objective of this study was to develop an educational intervention to improve the healthy habits of the children of a primary school in Lima who lived in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions
There was an increase in the consumption of glasses of water, albeit there was no change in the habits of the students who brought water to school
Summary
Published: 23 April 2021The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes as a priority the right of children to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. 32% of children do not have adequate sanitation facilities, 25% have stunted growth, and 6.5% are overweight or obese, so it is essential to address this situation, including the promotion of adequate nutrition and hygienic measures to improve sanitation [4]. This problem is more pronounced in the so-called “developing” countries, such as the Latin American and Caribbean regions, where the under-5 mortality rate in 2018 was estimated at 16 per 1000 children [2]. These actions have contributed to reducing the existing gaps in the populations with less wealth and less education, there is still a need for specific interventions in this area [5]
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