Impact of a Pedagogical Intervention on Children Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Condition: Cardiovascular Health
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      In Bogotá, Colombia, the Fundación Cadioinfantil performed a randomized and controlled
      community trial, to evaluate the impact of a pedagogical intervention (PI) on cardiovascular
      health towards an active lifestyle and healthy eating in 9 schools of the city, including
      children from kindergarten to second grade of elementary school, their parents and teachers.
    

Detailed description: 
      Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and Colombia is not an
      exception. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that CVD risk factors are identifiable
      in childhood and they are predictor of CDV risk in adulthood. Worldwide, CDV primary
      prevention that begins in childhood is identified as a strategy that decreases the burden of
      this disease.

      Programs developed in educational communities (EC), that include in their planning and
      implementation students, teachers and parents, with training to food personnel, are the most
      effective strategies to create healthy school environments and reduce the burden of chronic
      diseases. However recent studies that evaluate physical activity through accelerometers have
      not shown effectiveness.

      In 2009, the Si! program and Fundación CardioInfantil performed a randomized and controlled
      community trial in facilities of the Colombian Family welfare Institute, ICBF, from Usaquen
      locality in Bogotá, finding that a pedagogical intervention (PI) in preschool children, their
      parents and teachers is effective in improving knowledge, attitudes and habits towards an
      active lifestyle and healthy diet.

      The construction of the proposed intervention is based on the best available evidence about
      programs, policies and practices that positively impact in healthy eating and physical
      activity habits in EC.

      The objectives of this project are to evaluate changes in healthy foods consumption and
      energy expenditure in children from kindergarten to second grade of elementary school that
      receives pedagogical intervention (PI) adapted to its context, compared to another EC that
      develops its habitual curriculum. In addition, this study evaluates changes on cardiovascular
      risk factors in children. Also, it evaluates changes in healthy foods consumption in their
      parents and teachers.
    

Intervention name(s): Investigational; Control
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The educational intervention helped to increase the knowledge of attitudes, and habits of healthy lifestyle in children, parents and teachers and it was based on health promotion models and social cognitive theory, to be articulated with the Institutional Educational Project through the pedagogical component that integrates three areas, physical activity, healthy eating, and the knowledge of the body and the heart with the dynamics of the educative community.
The program covered self-care of the body and heart, healthy diet, and physical activity; The control group did not receive an educational intervention in areas of physical activity, healthy eating, and the knowledge of the body and the heart. Instead, children received the standard curriculum in health and physical activity of the national Ministry of Education.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Behavioral Modification; Health Community; Community Intervention; Prevention; Education Intervention; Cardiovascular Health; Colombia