[A school breaks card game improves eating habits in adolescents]

Abstract

Introduction: Feeding habits among the Spanish population are currently an increasing and concerning problem, especially during adolescence.

Objectives: To improve feeding habits (breakfast, consumption of fruit and water, soft drinks, pastries, sweets and fried food) in adolescents.

Methods: The intervention was conducted for 3 months in students from 12 to 16 years old, through an educational proposal based on a card game (built ad hoc) called "Fighting for my health", which was developed during the school breaks. This game was supplemented with the methodology of a healthy commitment, based mainly on the cooperative work between schools and families and the promotion of the responsibility among students about their health. Two groups were included (intervention and control), each one with a total number of 48 adolescents.

Results: After the intervention, significant improvements were achieved in 5 of the 6 habits addressed (the exception was consumption of fried food) in the intervention group. Among them, it is necessary to highlight the significant difference (p < 0.001) obtained in breakfast and consumption of fruit between pretest and posttest and between pretest and retest. However, in the control group there were no significant differences in any of them.

Conclusion: A school-based intervention conducted from the Department of Physical Education, through healthy commitments using a card game, improved the feeding habits in adolescents.