Social challenge and reasons for project’s initiation

Immediacy of the social problem

It is very important and yet rather difficult to instill the healthy lifestyle culture in children. When is the best time to start developing the right habits? Age between five and nine years is critical, as it lays the foundation for man’s physical, moral and mental health. This is when organs and systems within the human body develop and take shape; this is when we develop our personality, our character. And it is at this age that we should give children proper knowledge and practical skills of a healthy lifestyle.

The concept of health is more complex today than it used to be. Being healthy is more than just not being ill; to be healthy means to be fit, full of energy, ready to work and create. This is the foundation of personal wellness.

Obesity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. The Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases of September 2011, recognizes the critical importance of reducing unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. The political declaration commits to advancing the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, including, where appropriate, through the introduction of policies and actions aimed at promoting healthy diets and increasing physical activity in the entire population.

WHO has also developed the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013-2020 which aims to achieve the commitments of the UN Political Declaration on Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) which was endorsed by Heads of State and Government in September 2011. The Global Action Plan will contribute to progress on 9 global NCD targets to be attained by 2025, including a 25% relative reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025 and a halt in the rise of global obesity to match the rates of 2010.

Hence, the efforts to raise awareness on this issue should be integrated into the education process at school (and should involve not only children and teachers but also children’s parents). Also, it is important for these efforts to be regular and consistent at every school covered by the Healthy Schools program.

In this way, the Healthy Schools program contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all.

Some statistics:

According to the National Pediatrics Center:

• 14% of the children are “practically healthy”
• at least 22% of the children starting school are “practically healthy”
• 50% of the children have issues with the development of their musculoskeletal system;
• 35-40% of the children suffer from chronic conditions

According to the Healthcare Ministry:

• out of 13.4 million schoolchildren, 53% have reduced general condition
• two-thirds of the children aged 14 have chronic diseases
• only 10% of school graduates classify as healthy
• the overall morbidity rate for children under 14 years has increased by 9.3% over the past five years

According to the Children’s Hygiene and Healthcare Institute:

• more than 32% of the children aged 6 and 7 are not ready for systemic education
• the levels of diet-related diseases (gastritis, duodenitis, gallbladder diseases, bile duct diseases, diabetes) remain high
• Physical development indicators are deteriorating. About 10% of school age children have anthropometric deficits. The number of underweight children has tripled over the past 10 years.
• 7% of the schoolchildren suffer from obesity

According to the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences:

• By the age of 15-17, 70% of the schoolchildren have chronic conditions
• Over 30% of the children have abnormalities in their physical development
• This number has been steadily growing over the past 15 years, which is extremely alarming. Only half of 17-year-olds can pass a standard fitness test
• Over the past decade, the morbidity rate among children under 14 has increased by 34%; among ages 15-17, by 65%
• 30% of the children in junior high and high school have chronic pathologies

At the same time, according to the National Polling Center, the number of people committed to healthy lifestyle has grown in Russia:

• 16% of the Russian people exercise regularly, 24% exercise occasionally, 21% exercise rarely
• The most athletic categories are young people aged 18-24 (87%), people with college degrees (71%) and people with higher income (72%)
• 51% of the respondents try to maintain a healthy diet; 36% eat healthy food; 15% follow a specific diet – one they chose on their own (10%) or as recommended by a doctor (5%)
• Russia who say they don’t care about eating healthy explain that they don’t have any health issues (27%) and that their low income prevents them from choosing healthier foods.

External reasons for project’s initiation

Protecting children’s health is one of the priorities of the Children’s Decade declared by Presidential Decree 240 on May 29, 2017, and following up on the 2012-2017 National Strategy for Children.

Both the Children’s Decade and the National Strategy for Children include the following important elements: “Public-private partnership in creating a modern model for children’s recreation and rehabilitation” and “Educating children about healthy eating and enhancing the catering system at schools and children’s hospitals.”

Each school is expected to design its own program for healthy and safe lifestyle. The program should motivate children to care for their health, pursue a healthy diet, engage in physical activities and sports. It should also educate them about health risks like the lack of physical activity, smoking, drinking, drus, infectious diseases) and personal hygiene.

Also, the National Strategy envisages that civil society and volunteers should play an active role in promoting healthy lifestyle.

The Healthy Schools program is fully in line with the aforementioned principles.

Internal reasons for project’s initiation

Healthy Schools is a good example of effective public-private partnership in primary schools.

Healthy Schools is a charitable program by Mondelez, implemented jointly with the Doverie Education  Center. The program was initiated – and is funded – by Mondelez.  Doverie is the program’s operator and offers organizational support with various components of the program.

Sustainability:

• Together with the UNESCO Chair in Healthy Life for Sustainable Development at the Moscow University of Medicine and Dentistry, the program has designed methodology and guidelines for promoting healthy lifestyle among schoolchildren (Grades 5 and 6).
• These guidelines are available to elementary and junior high school teachers, as well as other participants in Healthy Schools and the general public,  at the program’s website.
• The program’s Development Plan includes a workshop on waste sorting, which presents new opportunities for the program’s development, including new partnerships with entities involved in waste managements and recycling.
• Also, Doverie is currently in the process of getting a license for advanced education programs for adults and children for the purpose of organizing advanced training programs for teachers and parents. The training program for teachers will include a section on healthy lifestyle, which will use Healthy Schools as a case study. In the future, Doverie may draw on the experience it gets while working on Healthy Schools for its future independent programs.

Project description

Timeline:

• In July 2003, Mondelez launched its global Health and Healthy Lifestyle program, which includes, among other things, dissemination of information about a proper diet and healthy lifestyle among schoolchildren.
• In 2004, the Health4schools program is launched in the UK.
• In 2007, the Healthy Schools program launched a pilot project in Lomonosov District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.
• In the fall of 2009, the program launches in Vladimir Oblast for schools in Lakinsk, Pokrov, Sobinka and Stavrovo.
• Since 2007 through 2017, 36 schools have received grants of $30,000 to purchase equipment for their canteens and program-related classes (utensils, refrigerators, stoves, juicers), as well as sports gear. Including classes on a healthy diet and sessions on cooking breakfast in the curriculum was a necessary requirement for getting a grant. Children in Grades 2 and 3 were direct beneficiaries.
• In 2017, we made a decision to upgrade the program and expand it, both geographically (by increasing the number of schools) and agewise (so it covers ages 6-12 – Grades 1-4).

The upgraded program includes the following:

• a comprehensive approach: physical + emotional + social + environmental + cultural components
• the program’s methodology was reviewed and cardinally updated
• we have designed our own guidelines, which we make available to teacher for their future work with children
• special forms for reporting and performance evaluation
• getting government agencies involved
• getting experts at both national and local levels involved
• improved PR activities
• expanded target audience (ages 6-12 + highschoolers and parents)
• expanded list of activities
• expanded coverage (a new region + more schools)

Getting parents involved in the program is an important condition for the program to be successful.

Strategy for 2017-2020:

It is very important to use a systemic and comprehensive approach where the family, the school and experts (methodologists, psychologists, athletes, dieticians, environmentalists, etc.) all share the same values and concepts and work together.

Also, it is important to use modern educational techniques which get children engaged in the learning process: games, quests, master classes, research classes, fairy tale therapy, etc.

We use two narrator characters (Sil and Tok), diaries, presentations, printed materials, etc., to strengthen the sustainability of healthy lifestyle efforts at school and in the family.

Stages:

Stage 1 (Preparation – February–May 2018)

• designing methodology and educational activities based on the age-specific needs of the target audiences
• preparing volunteers/lecturers
• initial polling / focus group (possibly, including parents)
• initial measurement
• coordinating the event schedule

Results of the preparation stage:

• both theoretical and practical parts of the program are prepared
• volunteers/lecturers are theoretically prepared (methodology prepared, materials prepared and studied, resources reviewed, work planned, monitoring under way, the program is ready to go)

Stage 2 (Practical – June–November 2018)

• the program launches (an event with media, local officials, teachers, parents and children), including press conferences in each of the provinces
• educational meetings at schools
• parents are engaged in the work to develop healthy lifestyle habits (through meetings with psychologists and dieticians, through home assignments, through extracurricular interactive  events for children)
• scaling out techniques to other schools in the province
• intermediate polling or a focus group
• intermediate performance review based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria

Results of the practical stage:

• All the events have taken place:
• work with children (game classes at schools, creative sessions, mentorship program, extracurricular activities for families)
• work with parents (parents meetings with specialists, joint activities at school, open lessons, joint extracurricular activities)
• work with teachers (conferences, master classes, best practice contests, motivational programs)
• The schools participating in the project школы have received study materials for the program
• Teachers and parents have been attracted to culture and healthy lifestyle
• Children have learned about all the aspects of healthy lifestyle and started developing healthy habits
• Children are interested in the program
• Initial evaluation of the program by local authorities and school teacher have been received
• Media have published reports about the program
• Data has been collected for further analysis

Stage 3 (Conclusion – November–December 2018)

• Reporting
• Review of poll and focus group data
• Analysis of teachers’ best practices

Results of the conclusion stage:

• Performance improvement
• New materials added to the program
• New guidelines prepared
• Infrastructure for future work under the program has been created

Support projects:

Events for teachers:

• Round tables
• Citywide teacher councils
• Conferences, workshops and training sessions with local and national experts
• Methodology sessions
• Best practice contest

Extracurricular activities:

• Environmental classes and tree planting
• Integration with city festivals
• Joint activities with the Healthcare Ministry for children in hospitals
• Quests
• Culinary master classes
• Athletic events, festivals, sports clinics (including the Healthy Schools soccer tournament)

Events for parents:

• Parents meetings with local experts
• Citywide parents meetings with local and national experts
• Focus groups

Team and partners 

Team

Mondelēz International:

• Yuri Golovatchik, Director for Corporate and Government Relations, Mondelez Russia
• Roman Mayorov, Manager, GR and CSR, Mondelez Russia
• Olga Dyachenko, Manager, Communications and Sustainability, Mondelez Russia

Doverie:

• Natalya Chalaya (CEO)
• Lyudmila Ikonnikova (local program coordinator, Novosibirsk)
• Galina Mizeleva (local program coordinator, Vladimir)
• Valentina Khandogina (local program supervisor, Vladimir)
• Olga Osokina (local program supervisor, Pokrov and Sobinka)
• Victoria Nekipelova (local program coordinator, Veliky Novgorod)
• Nikita Fedotov (local program supervisor, Veliky Novgorod)

Partners

Local school authorities, opinion leaders, experts:

We believe it would be impossible for our program to be successful without cooperation with local government bodies. Healthy Schools works closely with municipal educational boards during the preparation and practical stages.

Novosibirsk:

• The Novosibirsk Department of Education endorses the Healthy Schools program; department representatives participate in joint events covered by the media
• We have a cooperation agreement with the Novosibirsk Disease Prevention Center

Veliky Novgorod:

• The Veliky Novgorod Education Board endorses the program; board members participate in joint events covered by the media
• We have a joint action plan with the Education Board
• We have had a meeting with the Deputy Governor for Social Policies

Vladimir:

• The Education Department endorses the program; department representatives participate in joint events covered by the media
• School authorities of Sobinka and Pokrov endorse the program
• We have a joint action plan with the Education Department

Together with the local school authorities, we have designed and conducted best practice contests between the schools participating in the program.

Working with experts is another important aspect of the program. For example, we worked together with the UNESCO Chair for Healthy Life to prepare study materials for the Healthy Schools program.

Also, we worked with national and local experts in education, psychology, diet. During the practical stage, we had the following joint events:

• Face-to-face meetings with experts to train the teachers participating in the program, as well as regional master classes and conferences for teachers
• We recorded video interviews with experts, uploaded them to social media and played them for teachers at master classes

Resources

Financial resources

Overall investment in the program in 2007-2020 amounted to US$2.86 million; in 2018 alone, over 20 million rubles.

Human resources

Volunteers and Mondelez employees:

As we have pointed out earlier, the National Strategy for Children envisages involvement of civil society and volunteers.  In our Healthy Schools program, we use the following categories of volunteers:

• high school students (to give open lessons in elementary school or to oversee athletic events at schools)
• volunteers from special centers (for example, to give master classes)
• teachers (to give extra classes)
• supervisors at school summer camps (for summertime events, to avoid interruption in the program during the summer months)
• Mondelez employees (for example, an environmental expert from our Veliky Novgorod factory, or the soccer team Dirol for the football tournament)

Technological and material resources

• methodology materials for teachers
• multimedia materials for classes
• study materials for classes
• sports gear for schools
• plants for environmental activities
• gift for all the children participating in the program (diaries, lab kits, games, T-shirts, etc.)

Achieved results

Immediate results:

Healthy Schools in 2018

Cities covered:

• Veliky Novgorod
• Vladimir and Vladimir Province (Sobinka and Pokrov)
• Novosibirsk

At-school activities:

• 96 schools covered;
• 33,510 children joined the program;
• 4,907 program sessions on four subjects: (1) Healthy lifestyle; (2) Healthy eating; (3) Environmental awareness; (4) Physical activity; and an additional Healthy Fairy Tale class.

Teachers:

• Materials prepared for teachers to conduct classes on their own;
• 1,105 teachers joined the program;
• The program’s experts gave lectures, seminars and workshops;
• Teachers submitted their own materials to be used for the program in the future.

Out-of-school activities:

• 39 out-of-school activities organized, covering over 11,000 people.

Parents:

• Two citywide parents meetings on healthy eating to present the program to parents;
• Nine focus groups to evaluate the program;
• 22 parents meetings to present the program to parents and to follow up with local experts.

PR, social media:

• Three media events (one in each region)
• 114 articles
• The program has a website and accounts on Instagram and VKontakte.

Social results:

• 21,639 children filled out the questionnaire form before the program, and 19,124 children after the program
• 97.3% of the children said the program improved their knowledge about healthy eating and healthy lifestyle
• 99% of the children said they were now more mindful of their eating habits
• 87,1% of the children said they were eating more vegetables and fruit now
• 75,3% of the children said they started exercising in the morning

Internal project assessment:

The program was evaluated based on three KPIs: physical activity, improved knowledge about healthy eating, and changes in eating habits.

External project assessment:

The Healthy Schools program has been recognized as efficient in terms of the social return on investment (SROI). Positive results have been observed not only among school students, who are the primary target audience, but also among teachers and parents. The SROI rate for the program is 4-5:1. This means that every ruble invested in the program creates social value worth 4 or 5 rubles.

*Reported by http://www.cafrussia.ru. The report was prepared by CAF Russia in 2015 and has passed the Social Value International verification with respect to SROI compliance.

Project’s distinctive features and know – how

The word “health” has a lot of definitions but we like the one given by the World Health Organization: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

What makes the Healthy Schools program special is that, in everything we do – be it classes with children in school, or workshops for teachers, or activities with parents – we never focus on a single aspect (like healthy eating or physical activity). Instead, we take a holistic approach, covering all aspects of human well-being. This is why, like we mentioned earlier, we use a systemic and comprehensive approach where the family, the school and experts (methodologists, psychologists, athletes, dieticians, environmentalists, etc.) all share the same values and concepts and work together. Also, we use modern educational techniques which get children engaged in the learning process: games, quests, master classes, research classes, fairy tale therapy, etc. We use two narrator characters (Sil and Tok), diaries, presentations, printed materials, etc., to strengthen the sustainability of healthy lifestyle efforts at school and in the family.

Another special feature of the Healthy Schools program which distinguishes it from other similar programs is that we do not focus purely on children as the primary target audience/beneficiaries. Because of their age, most children cannot fully comprehend the importance of good health and thus cannot be properly motivated on their own. This is why Healthy Schools relies heavily on interaction with parents (families) and teachers, who also benefit from the program.

Challenges and solutions

Risks	Ways to minimize the risk
Lack of interest	Demonstration of results
Uncooperative parents	Motivational, educational and practical activities
Problems with interagency communications	Cooperation with local school authorities
Lack of properly trained teachers	Training sessions, workshops, guidelines
Lack of immediate results	Systemic motivation
Lack of motivation among teachers	Incentives for teachers
Lack of motivation among students	Engaging students by advertising positive results and creating a feeling of success
Lack of publicity	Media events and promotion through local governing bodies

Plans of further development   

Program in 2019-2020:

• Expand the audience from Grades 1-4 to Grades 1-6 (create classes and activities for older children)
• Organize special training sessions for teachers with a professional coach on how to motivate students
• Develop a strategy for engaging parents
• Organize classes on Environmentalism and Waste Sorting