Nutrition Friendly School Initiative Pilot Testing Indian Experience

Nutrition Friendly School Initiative Pilot Testing Indian Experience Presented by Swati Parmar Programmme Manager HRIDAY-SHAN New Delhi, India

HRIDAY- SHAN Team Involved in Pilot Testing • Dr. K Srinath Reddy, Hony. Executive Director, Eminent Cardiologist & Epidemiologist • Ms. Monika Arora, Director, Social Scientist • Ms. Swati Parmar, Programme Manager, Social Work Professional • Ms. Shalini Bassi, Project Officer, Nutritionist

NFSI – Pilot Testing • Sample : 4 schools ( 2 government and 2 private) located in New Delhi, India • Undertaken by HRIDAY- SHAN in collaboration with Department of Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD ) WHO, Geneva

Schools contacted for Pilot Testing q Contacted 7 schools involved in HRIDAY- SHAN’s programs q 4 out of 7 schools contacted, gave consent for the pilot test S. No. Name of the School Type of school Management 1. Mahaveer Senior Secondary School, GT Karnal Road Private (Co-educational School Private 2. Arvind Gupta DAV School, Model Town Private (Co- Private educational School 3. Kendriya Vidhalaya No. 2, Delhi Cant Government (Co- Central educational School Government 4. Sarvodaya Kanya Vidhalaya West Patel Nagar Government Girls School) (Only Directorate Education of

Process Undertaken q Briefing meeting with Principals and Teacher coordinators – second week of January ‘ 07 q Selection of CAG members – third week January ’ 07 q Formation of CAG – third week January ’ 07 q Meeting of CAG members – fourth week January ’ 07 q Queries answered by HRIDAY- SHAN members – fourth week ’ 07 q Collection of SAT and Feedback questionnaires from participating schools – second week February ’ 07 q Interaction with teacher coordinators during the visit conducted for collecting SAT and feedback questionnaires – second week February ‘ 07

Feedback from field: Principals/ Teachers S. No Name of the school 1 Mahaveer Senior Secondary School, GT Karnal Road Feedback • No written nutrition policy • Difficulty in CAG formation due to occasional visit of management representatives • No formal structure for health promotion but undertake activities in collaboration with NGOs such as HRIDAYSHAN 2 Arvind Gupta DAV School, Model Town • No elaborate program for promoting physical activity in the school • Junk food totally banned in the school canteen • School plays a vital role in promoting healthy snacks in the school canteen • Schools prospectus and students diary has guidelines which encourages the students to bring cost effective healthy food in their tiffins • During PTMs resource persons are invited to provide information on healthy diet to parents • Promotion of physical activity only through PT classes and few classes on yoga. Facility of gym available for students

Feedback from field: Principals/ Teachers Contd. . . S. No 3 Name of the school Kendriya Vidhalaya No. 2, Delhi Cant Feedback • No written nutrition policy exists • No formal structure that decides health promoting policies in school • Undertake health promotion activities only in collaboration with NGOs like HRIDAY-SHAN • No formal program for promoting physical activity in the school 4 Sarvodaya Kanya Vidhalaya, West Patel Nagar • No written nutrition policy exists • No formal structure that decide health promoting policies in school • No canteen facility available within school • No elaborate program for promoting physical activity in the school

Compiled Feedback of Pilot Testing Delhi, India in • No canteen facility available in government school (Sarvodaya Kanya Vidhalaya, West Patel Nagar) • Private schools have canteens which is contracted to an outside vendor. Menu is decided by the vendors with no role of school authorities • Only one private school (Arvind Gupta DAV School, Model Town) had a role to play in deciding the menu for the canteen • All the schools contacted for piloting faced difficulty in including members from management staff in CAG as their visit to school is occasional • None of the schools could include representative from local health authorities

Need for NFSI Programme In India • No written nutritional policy in schools • Most of the schools do not have nutritional friendly school promotion program • Absence of any formal structure to decide health promoting policy in school • No sustainable health educational program in the school curriculum - HRIDAY-SHAN is the only program which aims to influence school, home and community environment • Lack of formal initiative for promoting physical activity –existing irregular physical education classes Need for Health promotion programmes like HRIDAY- SHAN and a formal structured initiative such as NFSI

Suggested Modifications • Formation of Core Action Group (CAG): o CAG should comprise of representatives from school( Principal , teacher coordinator & student), home (parents), community (member of neighbourhood Resident Welfare Association/ local body) as all the required members for CAG presently mentioned in NFSI do not have regular periodic meetings in most schools at one platform • Schools should be designated as a Nutritional Friendly School on the basis of developing written policies that guide health promotional activities at school, home and community level • Such initiatives in Government schools require partnership with Directorate of Education, Delhi Government • Section on written nutrition policy given in SAT require adaptation to be more country specific

About HRIDAY - SHAN

HRIDAY* HEALTH RELATED INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AMONGST YOUTH OBJECTIVES § To enhance the knowledge related to the content areas of HRIDAY educational program § To positively influence attitudes towards health promoting behaviors § To alter practices of students and of their parents towards healthy practices AREAS OF FOCUS Diet & Nutrition Physical Activity Tobacco Avoidance * HRIDAY means ‘Heart’ in most Indian Languages Environment

SHAN *(Student Health Action Network) is an offspring of HRIDAY § SHAN was formed as a result of identification of environmental barriers that restricted adoption of learnt knowledge into behaviour. § Intent of establishing SHAN was to address these barriers through health promoting policies, through enabling regulatory and legislative measures that are identified by students. § SHAN is a network of school and college students (14 -20 years) of Delhi, whose members meet periodically to discuss health policy issues and articulate their demands for societal measures conducive to sustainable health. It represents the youth advocacy component of HRIDAY.

Classes VI-VIII AT SCHOOL LEVEL LEARNING THE FACT HRIDAY “Let’s Talk Health” Classes IX-XII LEARNING TO ACT AT COLLEGE LEVEL (3 Years) SHAN “Debate the Present to Define the Future”

The HRIDAY Concept Education Awareness + Environment Skills/Norms + Activism Ownership --------= CHANGE --------

School- Community Connections: Interactions at the National Level

Strategies followed by HRIDAY-SHAN At school level § Orientation workshop for Teachers § Training workshop for Peer leaders § Teachers Training Manual § Peer leader training Manual § Students Handbook (worksheets) § Student charter on health of our land § Intra and inter school/ college competitions § Students Parliament on Health § Lectures & interactive sessions on health themes by resource persons § Other IEC Material for school: posters, fact sheets, booklets, films, interactive games At home level § Home Team Material § Post cards At community level § Peer lead health activism Health Art by Youth § Community mobilisation § by Youth §

HRIDAY-SHAN’S Learning Resource Material

IEC materials on Diet & Nutrition

HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOL PROGRAMME Intent: Children learn best in a safe, healthy & cognitively motivating environment

OBJECTIVES • Enhance health awareness among school/college students • Enable students to take care for themselves and others. • Train them to pursue peer education for health behaviour conformist* • Facilitate students to make responsible and productive decisions • Improve the health of students, school personnel, families and other members of the community through school/college * Only at school level

Activities for Health promotion In schools Balanced Diet Physical activity Ø Sensitization of students and parents on healthy diet through classroom activities and Home Team Material. Ø Sensitization of students and parents about importance of being physically fit through classroom activities and Home Team Material*. Ø Poster display on diet and nutrition in classroom and in school/college. Ø Poster display highlighting importance of being physically fit. Ø Promotion of healthy snacks in the school canteen*. Ø Ø Encouraging students to bring cost effective healthy food in their tiffins. Encouraging students to practice some form of physical activity regularly during games period*. Ø Ø Encouraging students to put healthy food stalls during school fetes and college festivals. Developing innovative programmes for making physical activity sessions enjoyable to students*. Ø Encourage students to adopt measures for including different forms of physical activity in their daily living habits.