Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the implementation of a health promotion initiative that encourages healthy eating and physical activity in young children.
Participants
The program targets children aged three to eight years of age who attend preschool programs and primary school. Potential program facilitators include public health nurses, staff and volunteers with family resource centres, childcare centres, and preschool/afterschool programs.
Setting
Communities within the Western Regional Health Authority in western Newfoundland.
Intervention
“Children Aiming to Choose Health” (CATCH) is a resource kit that was developed for use in various community settings. The kit contains activities and resources that promote healthy behaviours. Workshops educated approximately 100 individuals on how to use the resource kit in their centre or school. Forty-five resource kits were disseminated at the workshops which were then used over the next few months. A two-stage evaluation was conducted: 1) workshop feedback and 2) follow-up surveys and focus groups.
Outcomes
Overall, 99% of workshop participants were satisfied with the workshop and felt prepared to use the kit. The follow-up survey and three focus groups identified strengths, challenges and suggestions for improvement. Strengths indicated the tool was a valuable resource, was user-friendly and provided a variety of health promotion activities. Challenges included the need for better access to kits and time constraints. A few suggestions for improvements were to include more information to send home to parents and develop activities on reducing screen time.
Conclusion
The evaluation demonstrated that the CATCH resource kit could be an effective health promotion resource for community partners to convey healthy messages to young children.
Key words: Health promotion, childhood obesity, healthy eating, active living, evaluation
Résumé
Participants
Le programme cible les enfants de 3 à 8 ans fréquentant le jardin d’enfants et l’école primaire. Il peut être animé par des infirmières de santé publique ou par le personnel et les bénévoles de centres de ressources familiales, de centres de la petite enfance et de programmes préscolaires/parascolaires.
Lieu
Collectivités de la Western Regional Health Authority (Ouest de Terre-Neuve).
Intervention
Children Aiming to Choose Health (CATCH) est une trousse documentaire à l’usage de divers milieux communautaires. Elle propose des activités et des ressources favorisant les comportements sains. Lors d’ateliers, une centaine de personnes ont appris à l’utiliser dans leur centre ou leur école. Quarante-cinq trousses ont été distribuées durant les ateliers et ont servi au cours des mois suivants. L’évaluation s’est faite en deux temps: 1) appréciation des ateliers et 2) questionnaires de suivi et groupes de discussion.
Résultats
Globalement, 99 % des participants étaient satisfaits des ateliers et se sentaient prêts à utiliser la trousse. Le questionnaire de suivi et les trois groupes de discussion ont cerné des forces et des faiblesses et suggéré des améliorations. Les forces: la trousse est utile, conviviale et propose un éventail d’activités de promotion de la santé. Les faiblesses: l’accès limité aux trousses et le manque de temps. Quelques suggestions: inclure plus d’information pour les parents et créer des activités pour réduire le temps passé devant l’écran.
Conclusion
La trousse CATCH peut être une bonne ressource de promotion de la santé pour les partenaires communautaires qui veulent transmettre des messages-santé aux jeunes enfants.
Objectifs
Évaluer la mise en œuvre d’une initiative de promotion de la santé qui encourage la saine alimentation et l’activité physique chez les jeunes enfants.
Mots clés: promotion de la santé, obésité de l’enfance, alimentation saine; vie active, évaluation
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: Marie Gilbert, RN, BN, Parent & Child Health Coordinator and Lesley French, RD, Regional Nutritionist were instrumental in resource development and workshop delivery of this initiative. We thank Heather Taylor, MN, Director of Health Promotion and Primary Health Care Program, Population Health Branch, Western Health for funding costs associated with resource development and workshop delivery; Dr. Jeff Vallance at Athabasca University for guidance and support during the evaluation process as a requirement for course work; and Dr. Jean Miller at Athabasca University for reviews of this manuscript and helpful recommendations.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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