Promotion of healthy eating at schools in the Federal District of Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to describe strategies for the Promotion of Healthy Eating at Public and Private Schools in the Federal District of Brazil. METHODS: A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out involving 122 Private Schools and 173 Public Schools. The components of health promotion in the school setting were adapted to the context of the promotion of healthy eating, with interviews conducted for the administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. The Student's t test, Spearman's correlation coefficients and likelihood ratios were used for the statistical analysis (5% level of significance; p<0.05). RESULTS: Only one private elementary school fulfilled the criteria for 20 of the 24 items studied. At the other extreme, two public high schools only fulfilled the criteria for three items. A positive correlation was found between number of meetings held with the school community to address healthy eating and presence of healthy environments as well as between presence of healthy environments and monitoring of nutritional status of schoolchildren (p<0.01). Schools that held an above-average number of meetings to address healthy eating had a smaller proportion of street vendors and local stores in the surrounding area (p=0.01). The majority of schools that had a partnership with healthcare professionals included the topic of healthy eating in the curriculum (p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The different associations found demonstrate the importance and interdependence of the components of the promotion of healthy eating. Preschools have developed more strategies for the Promotion of Healthy Eating and health in general in comparison to other teaching modalities. Schools in the Federal District of Brazil need support and training to be developed as a "Health Promoting School", specifically with regard to actions directed toward healthy eating.