Fruit intake before and after educational intervention with teachers

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of two educational interventions on teachers’ fruit intake. Methods: Forty-two teachers from public schools answered a questionnaire related to fruit intake frequency before and after a long intervention (40-hour course) or a short one (30-minute lecture); during both, printed educational materials were distributed. Results: The prevalence of excess body weight was 60.5%, and 23.0% reported some chronic disease. The interventions significantly increased the prevalence of adequate fruit intake (from 58.1% to 79.1%) without significant difference by intervention type. Conclusions: Simple educational actions resulted in the increase of fruit intake. However, great part of the sample still failed to present an adequate intake. It is needed to invest in improving teachers’ health and dietary behavior.