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Objectives: To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the community participatory program between school and family based on ecological system theory and participatory action research. The intervention covers three levels at the individual, family and school levels and involves educating students and parents by using technology, reducing sedentary behaviours, increasing exercise and changing to healthy food environments at school and at home. Design: A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Setting: Public primary school in Thailand. Subjects: The participants in the study included 138 school-age children in grades 2–6 with their parents/guardians. The control group consisted of 134 school-age children at a school of the same size with their parents / guardians. Results: Results show that nutritional status was significantly improved within the experimental group (P value = 0·000) and between groups during follow-up (P value = 0·032). Students' knowledge about obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases (NCD) prevention, as well as physical activity and exercise behaviours, in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P value = 0·000 and 0·044, respectively). Parents' perceptions of child obesity and family modelling behaviours in the experimental group were also significantly higher than that in the control group; P value = 0·013 and 0·000, respectively). Conclusion: The community participation program was found to be successful. Not only students, families and schools improved health behaviours and healthy food environments at home and school, but the students' long-term nutritional status also improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inadequate access to healthy foods is among the most important factors contributing to obesity and chronic illnesses due to over-crowdedness of junk foods and bakery shops. Objective: To address an innovative operational model to mitigate the healthy foods inequity in Thailand. Methods: In 2013, the network of health/allied-health professionals from Chulalongkorn University, domestic sciences experts, food professionals and chronic diseases patients from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH) were formed. Healthy foods availability, channel of accessibility and consumer behavior were three main strategies deployed. Ready-to-eat healthy foods (RTEHF) were created to match with simple criteria considering calories per portion, fiber, sugar, fat and salt in accordance with recommended daily intake. Four-squared meter area at outpatient building of the KCMH was provided for operation. The kiosk operated in the morning from Mondays to Fridays during September 2014-May 2015. Consumer survey was done to assess satisfaction and adoption. Results: Sixty-two RTEHF menus were created and >50,000 portions were delivered. Monthly surveys were done with high satisfaction rate. Disease-specific healthy menu book was published and disseminated to the public with >10,000 copies downloaded since December 2016. Large public hospitals expressed their interest to adopt this model. Small/medium foods enterprises voluntarily co-created more healthy foods menus to scale up to all public hospitals. Mass media regarded this as a new way for hospital social responsibility. The KCMH administrators offered permanent healthy-foods-area to serve more patients with integrated on-site health education in 2017. Conclusion: Healthy eating in health care system can be successfully achieved by multi-disciplinary and inter-professional collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]