Participatory Intervention to Improve Nutrition and Physical Activity in Schoolchildren From Acatlán de Juárez, Jalisco

The project is a community trial that will last three years, which includes an intervention group and a control group of three schools each. Acatlán de Juárez has a total of 11 elementary schools.

The strategies will be implemented in collaboration with the authorities of the Acatlán de Juárez community, the school authorities, ITESO staff, CUTonalá, CUCS, and AJANUT. Key actors from both the school and community levels will be involved through the study to adapt the strategies socially and culturally to promote community project ownership. An initial study of the viability of the project and the current conditions of food and physical activity in school facilities will be carried out, as well as the perception of the community. The research team will design the contents and materials of the intervention taking into account the opinions and suggestions of the community and the results of the initial study. The schools of the control group will be chosen from the municipality of Villa Corona, Jalisco, which is similar to Acatlán de Juárez.

The strategies proposed for intervention by the research team, which will be agreed with the community, including the following:

• Surveillance in compliance with the regulation of the sale of food in school buildings, according to official guidelines
• Sensitization of children, parents, teachers (especially those in charge of the physical education class) and personnel in charge of the food supply (school cooperative), to improve acceptance and commitment to the regulation of the sale of food
• Training for the preparation of hygienic and healthy food for the personnel in charge of food sale
• Promotion of the consumption of simple water and healthy foods
• Rescue and promotion of the consumption of regional foods
• Reconditioning of the infrastructure for the consumption of simple water, free and healthy food, and the realization of physical activity
• Organization of events and support in the coordination of groups that promote physical activity at the community level
• Optimization of physical education classes at school sites
• Implementation of health promotion and care actions in the school context
• Development of skills in the school community for health care and generation of healthy school environments
• Creation and strengthening of health and nutrition committees in schools, with the participation of directors, teachers and parents to generate necessary and permanent conditions that favor healthy environments

To achieve a greater rapprochement with the population, qualitative instruments will also be implemented before the intervention, such as focus groups and in-depth interviews, which allow the identification of barriers and possible solutions to improve eating habits and promote physical activity in the population. Likewise, during the intermediate and final measurement phases, similar qualitative strategies will be applied to rescue successes and points for improvement of the intervention.

During the implementation of the strategies, meticulous monitoring of the localities will be carried out to identify significant changes that may affect the eating habits and physical activity in either of the two groups (intervention and control).

Inclusion criteria

• Children 6 to 10 years of age (completed at the beginning of the study) attending public schools.
• Mothers and fathers of school-age children.
• Responsible for cooperatives and school canteens.
• Key actors and members of the different groups involved in the implementation of the strategies.

Exclusion criteria

• Chronic disease with a confirmed diagnosis (cancer, type 1 or type 2 diabetes).
• Physical limitations that could affect development and normal eating patterns.
• Use of medications that can influence energy consumption and expenditure (for example, antidepressant drugs, antipsychotics, steroids).
• Children who are or were in a weight reduction program in the last year.
• Use of medications or confirmed diagnosis of diseases that could alter laboratory values.