Promoción de estilos de vida saludables en la infanciaSu abordaje desde la competencia socio-emocional

Abstract

This study has designed, implemented and evaluated a new intervention to promote healthy lifestyles in children addressing the development of the social and emotional competence. In order to do so, the first three stages of the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions was followed: the theoretical, modelling phase and the exploratory trial. The theoretical phase included an analysis of the literature and a systematic review of social and emotional learning intervention in preschool and school aged children in a universal way. Once, the theoretical framework and the key elements of the programme were identified, a logic model was created to guide the intervention process and then, the first unit based on emotional awareness was designed. The exploratory trial used a randomised control trial design. Thirty-seven 5-to-7 year old children took part in this trial. The unit implemented included four thematic blocks in 8 sessions based on emotional education around daily habits: eating, hygiene, sleeping and exercise. Each session was 40-50 minutes long and the whole implementation of the unit lasted four weeks. Parents were provided with home-extension activities and invited to participate in a gymkhana after the last session. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess the outcomes (at baseline, at the end of the programme and after 7 months), efficacy and acceptability of the programme. Results showed a statistically significant effect on emotional perception in the intervention group. It was also found a benefit in the intervention group on resilience dimension of the child health’s profile compared to the control group. Neither social skills nor total health profile score, perceived by parents and children were found to improve in a significant way. In contrast, parents perceived an important impact on their children’s social and emotional skills as wells as, an improvement on their healthy habits. Furthermore, families and children expressed their satisfaction with the intervention and described their participation as a very positive experience. Regarding the feasibility of the programme, some barriers (context and schoolteachers availability) and facilitators (support from an experimented school teacher, characteristics of the materials and facilitator’s profile) are discussed with detail in the thesis. This study offers a very promising and innovative strategy to promote healthy lifestyles in children from a universal and positive approach.