%0 Journal Article
%T Appreciation and implementation of the Krachtvoer healthy diet promotion programme for 12- to 14- year-old students of prevocational schools
%A Kathelijne MHH Bessems
%A Patricia van Assema
%A Marloes K Martens
%A Theo GWM Paulussen
%A Lieke GM Raaijmakers
%A Nanne K de Vries
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-11-909
%X Data were collected among 22 teachers and 1117 students of 13 schools, using student evaluation forms, teacher logbooks, telephone interviews, and classroom observations.Results indicate favourable levels of teacher and student appreciation for the programme in general and the revised elements. Girls, first-year students and students with more favourable dietary intakes particularly appreciated individual programme elements. Levels of completeness of implementation were high, but several teachers did not adhere to the intended implementation period. Some moderately strong relations were found between teacher appreciation and completeness of implementation scores.We conclude that the revisions have resulted in a programme that was appreciated well, also by the extended target group, and was implemented with a high degree of completeness. Teacher appreciation proved potentially important for completeness of implementation. We identified several aspects requiring improvement, indicating the importance of continued programme updates and repeated evaluation.Unhealthy dietary habits, such as inadequate fruit consumption, skipping breakfast and a high consumption of saturated fats, are among the main life style factors associated with the majority of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, several types of cancer and type 2 diabetes, as well as with overweight and obesity [1,2]. Like other Western countries, the Netherlands is faced with increasing numbers of chronic diseases and cases of overweight and obesity, even among younger people [3,4]. In 1980, 6% of the boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 21 were overweight, and this percentage had increased to 14% in 2010 [5].Dietary habits of youngsters become less healthy especially at the time of transfer from primary to secondary school, as they become more independent in their food choices. By the age of 13 years only 28% to 39% of the Dutch adolescents consume fruit on a daily basis [3]. A daily breakfast is
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/909