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After the Success of the 2023/2024 School Year, the New Edition of “Heróis da Fruta” Kicks Off, Aiming to Encourage Healthier Eating Habits Among Children
Following the success of the 2023/2024 school year, the new edition of Heróis da Fruta has started, an initiative designed to promote healthier eating habits among children across the country. This initiative is scientifically monitored by the Environmental Health Institute (ISAMB), a research unit of the TERRA Associated Laboratory.
The new edition of Heróis da Fruta has already begun in 1,481 schools across all regions of Portugal (mainland and archipelagos). The initiative aims to increase the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables among preschool children and those in the 1st cycle of primary education. Heróis da Fruta is promoted by the Portuguese Association Against Childhood Obesity (APCOI), with support from ALDI and partners Blédina and Maçã de Alcobaça, and scientific monitoring by ISAMB, a research unit of the TERRA Associated Laboratory.
The results of the last edition of Heróis da Fruta (2023/2024 school year) showed a 12.9% increase in the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables by participating children, despite about one-third of the participants not having free access to these foods – full report here. According to ISAMB researcher Raquel Martins, the results of the 13th edition of this initiative “highlight the importance of promoting fruit and vegetable consumption for children (and their families), even when free provision of these foods cannot be ensured. Offering these foods alone is not enough to guarantee an increase in consumption.”
More than half of the children (52.8%) who participated in the 13th edition of “Heróis da Fruta” tried a fruit or vegetable for the first time. During the five-week intervention, it is estimated that the 14,953 children involved consumed at least 635,000 servings of fruits or vegetables. The three districts with the highest percentages of children consuming fruits and vegetables daily by the end of the intervention were Braga (97.1%), Coimbra (91.7%), and Bragança (91.5%).
The complete report of this study can be found on the official websites of APCOI and ISAMB from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon in dashboard format, where the results can be explored in greater detail, both nationally and regionally – see here.
More information here.
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