The project "Family⁺ - Living Healthy Together in Family and School" is a prevention approach aimed at promoting weight-related behaviors in the living environments of primary school children, which started in January 2020 in the Saarpfalz district. The three-year project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). Project partners include the University of Konstanz (Department of Sports Science, Social and Health Sciences working group), the Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences at the Technical University (TU) Munich, and the Institute for Health Sports and Public Health at the University of Leipzig, as well as the Platform for Nutrition and Physical Activity (peb). Peb is committed to health promotion, especially in the area of overweight prevention for children and adolescents. Peb advocates for a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and more physical activity and collaborates with stakeholders from science, public authorities, business, civil society, and healthcare. Peb has been established in the Saarpfalz district since 2010. The district health office develops county-wide, networked solutions with the aforementioned stakeholders in "Saarpfalz with peb - A district getting fit" and serves as a platform for exchange.
In Homburg, the second and final networking meeting of the project "Family+ - Living healthy together in family and school" took place at the end of the 2021/2022 school year. The primary schools Bexbach, Bruchhof, and Langenäcker are part of the project that started in April 2020, which aims to provide primary school children with good and healthy development by linking the life worlds of family and school. In addition to the Oberhavel district and the city of Leipzig, the Saarpfalz district is one of three model regions of the project. During the past school year, third and fourth grades implemented measures on the topics of exercise, nutrition, sleep, and sitting behavior. A total of 350 students participated.
At the same time, the parents of these primary school children received materials that they could use at home. All materials were developed based on scientific findings by the involved universities.
“We are pleased that with Familie+ we can make an additional contribution to promoting a healthy lifestyle with more exercise and balanced nutrition among primary school children and their families,” says peb managing director Mirko Eichner. “What’s new about Familie+ is that the living environments of school and family are considered together and measures are designed that connect both environments and are also adapted to local conditions. The children are empowered to take what they have learned from one setting into the other and apply it there. In this way, health-promoting behavior is addressed, anchored, and thus reinforced in both environments. Also exciting is the expansion to include the topics of sleep and sitting behavior,” Eichner continues. “Familie+ creates the opportunity to actively involve parents alongside schools. Especially in Corona times, it is important to us to promote the healthy development of our children and youth in the Saarpfalz district through the interconnected cooperation of municipalities, institutions, clubs, schools, and parents,” explains the head of the Coordination Office for Environment and Health at the health department, Dipl.-Biologist Eva Schwerdtfeger, who oversees the project together with Karin Heid-Schuck from the health department’s social service.
“We have a responsibility towards the little ones. With the project and the addressed subject areas, my employees want to counteract the media influences and temptations on packaging and advertising, and lay a healthy foundation for the children's future,” explains District Administrator Dr. Theophil Gallo.
At the project conclusion, Eva Schwerdtfeger and Karin Heid-Schuck, together with Friederike Butscher from TU Munich, presented certificates and a frisbee disc to all primary school students as a thank you for their participation, but also to gather feedback. Everyone was proud to have been part of the research project and shared their acquired knowledge on the topics of nutrition, sleep, sitting behavior, and physical activity.
