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Intervention programs for the promotion of healthy eating habits in Spanish schoolchildren practicing Physical Education: A systematic review

Abstract:

The aim of this research work was to show the effect of intervention programs carried out to improve eating habits in Spanish schoolchildren. Thus, a systematic review of school interventions within Spain was carried out with this objective in mind. For this purpose, internationally recognized databases were used, such as Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO Citation Index, and Google Scholar. The studies were identified, reviewed, chosen, and included according to their characteristics; socio-demographic characteristics, objectives pursued, methodology used, as well as results obtained were summarized upon review. A total of 196 articles were found, out of which nine were eventually included based on eligibility criteria previously established. The results clearly disclose articles authorship, location where the research was carried out, sample size, targeted ages, evaluation instruments, as well as strategies used to improve eating habits. Finally, within the conclusions, the strategies that can result in significant improvements of students’ eating habits are highlighted, among which offering schoolchildren the possibility of choosing healthy products, providing theoretical and informative content on healthy eating, holding sessions and theoretical-practical workshops on it, as well as promoting parents’ help through meetings. All of them could serve as a model for PE teachers to apply throughout the academic year in order to promote healthy eating among schoolchildren.