SNACK AND CHILL
Andalusia, Spain
PROJECT AIM
Encouraging healthy eating habits among students by making nutritious choices fun, accessible, and part of everyday life
OBJECTIVES
Raising awareness about nutrition
Integrating good practices into daily routines
Replacing unhealthy snacks with healthier options
Making healthy snacks fun and "cool"
Expanding healthy habits to families and staff
WHO’S INVOLVED
School management and teachers
School nurses and health district staff
Local councils
Students and families
TARGET GROUP
Secondary school students
Teachers
IMPLEMENTATION
Adapting school spaces to create a healthy eating environment where students can socialise
Conducting student surveys to identify preferred healthy snacks
Delivering fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis
Creating teams of students and teachers to prepare and distribute food
Training teachers on food safety and wellbeing
EXPECTED RESULTS
Healthier snack habits
Positive health awareness
Long-term lifestyle changes
Weekly fruit deliveries and coordination took considerable effort
Andalusia, Spain
BARRIERS
Limited time and staff made participation difficult
FACILITATORS
Support from local and regional governments, and public and private partners increased the impact
Students and teachers co- created the initiative and “Healthy Habits” was added as a school subject
Students with special needs were involved in the activities, increasing the feeling of inclusion
LESSONS LEARNED
Tailoring practices to the local level and school autonomy are crucial
Logistical challenges can be mitigated with good planning and organisation
Simpler interventions can encourage wider school engagement
Institutional cooperation relied on individual proactivity and motivation
Students actively participated in food preparation, creating a positive atmosphere
Involving all stakeholders from the start helps scale-up and sustain the practice