For the last 12 years, the Polish Federation of Food Industry (PFPZ), in conjunction with the Polish Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, has been running a major National “Keep fit!” Educational Programme intended to promote a balanced diet and physical activity amongst teenagers.
The “Keep fit!” programme has been closely adapted to meet the challenges posed by the current shortcomings in nutritional behaviour and levels of physical activity in Polish teenagers. The programme, which is based on a full partnership between public administration, scientists and a public sector, has had an outstanding response, reaching 7200 schools and almost 9.3 million students.
Monitoring the impact of the “Keep fit!” programme has shown that it has had a positive effect in changing the dietary habits and patterns of physical activity of children and adolescents; participants were more satisfied with their appearance, more frequently had five meals a day and more often consumed vegetables. In addition, 38% of participants declared they exercised regularly while 70% said they practiced sports recreationally.
In 2010, the programme was recognised by the European Commission as the best example of public-private partnership in Europe. Further extension of the programme’s scope is being planned as well as the introduction of the new interactive communication tools.