PRAIS Foundation is launching the first annual edition of the national movement “I’m living healthy too!” – SETS aiming, for a period of 5 years, at preventing child obesity among children and promoting a healthy lifestyle among the Romanian families, in a new, holistic approach: mind, body, spirit. In September at The UN Summit on NCDs* was globally announced the launch of the EIN – EPODE International Network, having as mission to reduce childhood obesity prevalence through coordination and advocacy for sustainable strategies based on Community Based Programmes (CBPs). The network objective is that EPODE – France, THAO – Spain, VIASANO – Belgium, PAIDEIATROFI – Greece, OPAL – Australia, JOGG – Holland, SETS – Romania and 5 PASOS – Mexico to be the first CBP members.

In the school year 2011 – 2012, 45,000 pupils from the primary level of education, in 215 schools from Bucharest and Roman, 1,700 teachers and over 100,000 parents will have access to information about the benefits of a balanced diet, daily physical activities, sports, hygiene and moral values. The pupils will receive free-of-charge 2 educational books delivered by the teachers during extracurricular classes. All children can voluntarily join the “SETS Clubs – Sports and Entertainment”, participating in the annual competition of the most active clubs. Open lessons will be delivered by UNEFS students, nutritionists, psychologists and renowned Olympic athletes. SETS debate series will continue.

At the end of the spring pilot phase, which engaged 28,000 pupils and 1,200 teachers in the movement and generated 106 “SETS Clubs – Sports and Entertainment”, in which over 3,700 pupils where voluntarily involved in physical activities, PRAIS team conducted a study in 80 schools. 99% of the teachers who answered the questions asked in the applied questionnaires believe that the implementation of the SETS movement in schools, for a period of 5 years, can influence the lifestyle habits of the pupils and their families, with beneficial effects on their health; 89% of the respondents consider that the physical activities within the SETS Clubs have a positive effect on the pupils’ health. 100% of the respondents considered that the pupils’ access to information and activations in the school environment for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is important for their harmonious development.

The website www.sets.ro is a public source of information of the movement. Through its bivalent structure, both the children and their families can access video materials, studies, articles written by medical figures, athletes, psychologists. Through campaigns of public interest in mass media, PRAIS Foundation will inform the general public about the SETS activities in which community members can get involved.

“The international recognition of the Romanian SETS movement by proposing its inclusion in the global EIN project – Community Based Programmes for preventing obesity – shows that the educational and informational methodologies we created, based on models and solutions: “this is the proper way!”, are viable. We have beside us a strong alliance of values, reputed doctors, psychologists, Olympic athletes, teachers, families, organizations and companies which got involved in the movement and made possible this recognition. Their support, that of other new partners will help us in the next 4 years to bring an important contribution, together with the other countries and EIN programmes”, declared Silvia Bucur, President of PRAIS Foundation.

NCDs*: Non-communicable diseases