Comunidades protagonistas en el logro de estilos de vida saludables

Background

The promotion of health and nutrition is aimed to improve life conditions and the development of societies, where the communities have the leading role towards change. The Centro de Atención Nutricional Infantil Antímano (Antímano Center for the Attention to Child Nutrition), implements from the preventive care, a program for Community Nutrition in a suburban zone of Caracas for the purpose of turning the community into the leaders to attain a healthy lifestyle.

Methods

The strategic guidelines are oriented towards: increasing population awareness, training community health promoters (PCS), seeking to incorporate teachers, parents, children and teenagers, nursery and preschool personnel and workers from primary health attention centers.

Results

96% of the community has been involved, 4,991 persons motivated into action; 297 organizations; 63 productive alliances; 327 PCS's; 83% of school participation, 66% implementing adequate breakfasts; nutritional counseling and education in 68% of preschools and 100% in nurseries; diagnosis improvement (39 to 100%) in referrals from outpatient clinics to CANIA.

Conclusiones

The action is based on exchange of knowledge and increase of awareness about reality and the orientations, on how to do what must be done from the perspective of each actor within its context.