Who should be educated? Education strategies: could children educate their parents?

The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) concluded that the prevention of weight gain is easier, less expensive and more effective than treating obesity after it has fully developed. The objective of prevention programmes is to reduce the exposure of populations to the environmental causes of obesity. Public health prevention is based on education and behavioural changes aiming at promoting physical activity and a less energy dense diet. Effective management of overweight in children proved to reduce the number who carry their weight problems into adulthood. It has been proposed that school could play an important role in encouraging healthy eating habits. School-based prevention strategies consider the child as the target of the education programme. A complementary approach considers that the child could play an active role in the transmission of the message of prevention. It is the hypothesis of a prospective intervention study in northern France, the 'Fleurbaix-Laventie-Ville-Santé' Study, that nutritional education of children aged 6-12y at school may not only improve their nutritional knowledge but also influence the dietary habits of the family. Preliminary results indicate that the education programme resulted in encouraging changes in dietary habits, mainly a decreased intake of lipid-rich foods in the family. The effects on body weight evolution remain to be evaluated. The study is in progress with a 10-year follow-up.