Healthy snacks for schoolchildren

Following the success of the Healthy Breakfast for Schoolchildren, the Health Promotion Department has initiated another project aimed at promoting the health and well-being of schoolchildren. The project provides for the adoption of a healthy snack for the children, substituting sweets or pastries with fruit and yoghurts.

According to a World Health Organisation study, The Health Behaviour of School-aged Children, carried out among schoolchildren in 2002 by the department, a major problem among our young people proved to be overweight or obesity in this age group.

However, this problem is the concern of many countries, not only Malta, and all international organisations, including the WHO and DG-Sanco of the European Union, have made combating obesity their primary objective for the next few years.

The adoption of a healthier lifestyle, including the type of food children consume on a daily basis and their participation in physical activity, will help them minimise the risk of heart attack or stroke later in life.

The project was held at St Monica School in Mosta, where children from all classes participated. They learned all about the goodness of fruit in their daily diet. They also had the opportunity of tasting fresh fruit salad; kindly offered by Jimmy Vella Fruits & Veg Ltd, as well as yoghurts, kindly sponsored by Benna.

The children were also given pictures of fruit to colour as well as soft toys depicting fruit to play with.