Healthy Buddies
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
The Healthy Buddies program is a peer-led health promotion program designed to promote and improve health for Canadian elementary school students from kindergarten to 7th grade. The program aims to teach kids about nutrition, the benefits of physical activity, and about healthy growth and development in a classroom setting. The premise of the program is that older “buddies” (4th through 7th grade) receive a healthy-living lesson from their teachers and then give the lesson as peer teachers to their younger buddies (kindergarten through 3rd grade). Through peer teaching, Healthy Buddies program’s mission is to reduce child and adolescent overweight and obesity and eating disorders.
Goal / Mission
The goal of Healthy Buddies is to increase health knowledge, health behaviors, and health attitudes in children in elementary school.
Results / Accomplishments
An experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Healthy Buddies program. Two Canadian elementary schools were selected to participate, one as the control group (151 candidates) and one as the treatment group (232 candidates). Baseline and follow-up characteristic were measured at the beginning and end of the school year.
Among kindergarten through 3rd grade, there was a greater height increase in the intervention compared to the control group (p-value <0.001). There was a smaller increase in weight and BMI in the intervention among the 4th through 7th graders (both P < 0.008). The intervention group also had a lower increase of systolic blood pressure (p-value < 0.05). There was also a significant and greater change in health knowledge scores during the study period when compared to control group (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, the intervention group had a greater change in health attitude score (p-value < 0.05). However, only 4th through 7th graders showed this significant increase in health behavior scores (p-value < 0.001 during study period; p-value = 0.025 compared to control).
Among kindergarten through 3rd grade, there was a greater height increase in the intervention compared to the control group (p-value <0.001). There was a smaller increase in weight and BMI in the intervention among the 4th through 7th graders (both P < 0.008). The intervention group also had a lower increase of systolic blood pressure (p-value < 0.05). There was also a significant and greater change in health knowledge scores during the study period when compared to control group (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, the intervention group had a greater change in health attitude score (p-value < 0.05). However, only 4th through 7th graders showed this significant increase in health behavior scores (p-value < 0.001 during study period; p-value = 0.025 compared to control).
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
British Columbia's Children's Hospital
Primary Contact
Jean-Pierre Chanoine, MD, PhD
Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, Room K4-213 British Columbia's Children's Hospital
4480 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6H 3V4
(604) 612-5883
jchanoine@cw.bc.ca
Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, Room K4-213 British Columbia's Children's Hospital
4480 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6H 3V4
(604) 612-5883
jchanoine@cw.bc.ca
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Physical Activity
Organization(s)
British Columbia's Children's Hospital
Date of publication
2007
Date of implementation
2006
Location
Canada
For more details
Target Audience
Children
Submitted By
Christina Shyun, Jon Chan, Nero Ip - UC Berkeley School of Public Health