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Health and nutrition education in primary schools in Crete: 10 years' follow-up of serum lipids, physical activity and macronutrient intake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Yannis Manios  and
Anthony Kafatos
Yannis Manios
Affiliation:
Harokopio University of AthensDepartment of Nutrition & DieteticsGreece
Anthony Kafatos*
Affiliation:
University of CretePreventive Medicine and Nutrition Clinic, School of MedicineGreece
*
*Corresponding author: fax +30 81 394 604, kafatos@med.uoc.gr
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Abstract

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The current study is a 4-year follow-up after the 6-year-long health and nutrition intervention programme applied in the primary schools of Crete. The aim of the current work was to identify whether the benefits obtained in certain health indices at the end of the intervention period were also present 4 years later. From a representative population of 441 pupils (250 from the intervention schools and 191 from the control schools), biochemical, dietary and physical activity data were obtained at baseline, at the end of the intervention period and after intervention (academic years 1992–1993, 1997–1998 and 2001–2002, respectively). The findings of the current study revealed that the favourable changes in serum lipids observed at the end of the intervention period were maintained from baseline to after intervention for total cholesterol (−24·3 (SE 1·65) V. −9·70 (SE 2·03) mg/dl; P=0·001), LDL-cholesterol (−18·6 (SE 1·41) V. −2·49 (SE 1·75) mg/dl; P<0·001), HDL-cholesterol (−8·34 (SE 0·75) V. −9·60 (SE 1·10) mg/dl; P=0·014) and total cholesterol:HDL-cholestrol ratio (0·31 (SE 0·06) V. 0·04 (SE 0·05); P=0·001). Similar favourable changes for the intervention group were observed in leisure-time physical activities (38·3 (SE 11·7) V. −13·2 (SE 10·9) min/week; P=0·038) and BMI (6·05 (SE 0·18) V. 6·67 (SE 0·21) kg/m2; P=0·014), whereas no changes were observed in the fitness and dietary indices examined. The findings of the current study are encouraging, indicating maintenance of the favourable changes observed in serum lipids, BMI and physical activity 4 years after the programme had ended

Keywords

Nutrition educationChildrenDiet and physical activitySerum lipidsObesity
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 95 , Issue 3 , March 2006 , pp. 568 - 575
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2006

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