GLI INTERVENTI PER LA PROMOZIONE DI UN\u2019ALIMENTAZIONE CORRETTA IN ITALIA

OBJECTIVES: to describe the prevention interventions conducted by the Regional health services to promote a healthy diet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: the database ProSA, which contains prevention interventions conducted by some Italian regions, has been analysed. Programmes identified as \uabDiet \u2013 physical activity\ubb were selected, and the ones that had the promotion of healthy diet in unselected populations as objective were included. Then, the programmes were analysed and described. RESULTS: a total of 87 programmes were included, 23 of which are certainly conducted during 2013-14. 91%are school-based, particularly targeted tomiddle schools, and 37%are based on classroomlessons.No programmemade any reference to specific evidence, while 11%of themcited scientific generic but relevant papers. 15% of the programmes described some evaluation process, but only 1% has proposed a study design with controls. Limiting the analysis to the region that contributed with the largest amount of recorded programmes, it can be estimated that programmes does not reached more than 0.03% of the general population, and 4% of the school population. CONCLUSIONS: in Italy, there is not a survey system to collect preventive interventions conducted by regional health authorities. The analysis of ProSA, an experimental system, allows us to highlight that the promotion of a healthy diet is based on interventions targeting only the school population and referring to scientific evidence in a very limited way. Moreover, they seem to cover very small part of the target population

A School-Based Program to Promote Well-Being in Preadolescents: Results From a Cluster Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study

Diario della Salute [My Health Diary] is a school-based program designed to enhance the subjective well-being and health of 12- to 13-year-old students. We hypothesized that providing students with the social and emotional skills to fulfill their potential and deal with common developmental tasks of adolescence (e.g., onset of puberty, identity development, increased responsibilities and academic demands) would result in improved well-being and health. The program comprises five standardized interactive lessons concerning common psychosocial and health issues in adolescence, and two narrative booklets addressed to both students and their parents. We evaluated the effectiveness of the program in terms of the students' subjective well-being, aggressive behavior, and health behavior. Using a quasi-experimental study design, schools in the intervention group implemented the full program and those in the comparison group received their regular curriculum. We administered measures of the study's objectives both before and after program implementation. Statistical analyses accounted for within-school clustering, potential socioeconomic and demographic confounding, and pre-implementation levels of these measures. We sampled 62 schools and allocated 2630 students to either an intervention or comparison group. Sociodemographic characteristics and baseline outcomes were balanced across study groups. Unexpectedly, respondents in the intervention group had 0.38 greater mean adjusted score of the WHO/Europe Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Symptom Checklist instrument than respondents in the comparison group, indicating a reduction in subjective well-being. We did not observe any program effects on aggressive and health behaviors. The apparent reduction in subjective well-being reflected by an increased perception of psychosomatic complaints is suggestive of either increased emotional competence or, potentially, iatrogenic program effects. While greater emotional competence is positively associated with well-being over the course of life, the program in its present form should not be disseminated due to the possibility of adverse unintended effects

Europe needs a central, transparent, and evidence-based approval process for behavioural prevention interventions.

Fabrizio Faggiano and colleagues discuss how a central, transparent, and evidence-based approval process is needed for behavioral prevention interventions in Europe and propose a way forward. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.The research leading to these findings has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), under Grant Agreement n. 266813-Addictions and Lifestyle in Contemporary Europe-Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE RAP). Participant organizations in ALICE RAP can be seen at http://www.alicerap.eu/about-alice-rap/partners.html. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

La prevenzione primaria di tumori e malattie cardiovascolari: una overview della letteratura scientifica

To compare the proportions of effective primary prevention interventions for non-communicable diseases with the proportions of effective prevention interventions delivered in practice