HEALTHY STEPS by the 6th Health ADM in collaboration with the University of Patras in two new schools in Patras, in the 13th and 26th Primary School of Patras within the framework of European project Health4EUkids
In the context of the European project Health4EUKids and the implementation of the Work Package 5 (W.P. 5) “GRUNAU MOVES” the first contact with the students and teachers of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades of the 13th Primary School of Patras and the 26th Primary School of Patras was made.
The actions of “HEALTHY STEPS” for the year 2024-2025, concern briefings for children – teachers – parents from the scientific team, physical games and experiential activities focused on healthy nutrition, physical exercise and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle for children aged 8-12 years old. They come from the “GRUNAU MOVES” project that has been successfully developed and implemented in Germany and have been properly adapted by the scientific team of the 6th Health ADM and the University of Patras (interconnected entity in the project) in the Greek reality and the relevant needs, under the supervision of the Scientific Responsible of the project, Professor Apostolos Vantarakis of the University of Patras, Head of the Hygiene Laboratory. The team consists of the Pediatrician Eleni Papachatzi (Pediatric Clinic, G.U.H.P., post-doctoral researcher at the Hygiene Laboratory of the University of Patras), the Nutritionist Emmanuella Magripli (Assistant Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens) and the Health Visitor Lambrini Lachanioti (6th Health ADM / G.U.H.P. “Karamandaneio”) who designed and implement the action by transferring the most modern and successful European practices to our region. The actions will be continuously enriched based on implementation experiences, the emerging possibilities and partnerships, and according to children’s needs.
The goal after the pilot application is to establish the actions on an annual basis in the city of Patras (city of project implementation) with the possibility of establishing the interventional action as a public health policy in the area of responsibility of the 6th Health ADM.
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The “HEALTH4EUkids” Joint Action aims to implement health promotion and prevention strategies for child obesity across European countries. It seeks to share best practices and research findings, particularly focusing on the initiatives Grunau Moves from Germany and Smart Family from Finland. The project involves knowledge transfer, cooperation between member states, policy development, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles in families and communities. Its goal is to prevent childhood obesity, increase physical activity and healthy diet, and ensure the sustainability and transferability of successful practices to other member states.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s EU4HEALTH Programme under the Grant Agreement no 101082462
