An exploratory trial of a health education programme to promote healthy lifestyles through social and emotional competence in young children: Study protocol

Aim To implement and evaluate a health education programme based on the development of social and emotional competence in young children. Background Children's social and emotional skills play a key role in the adoption and maintenance of their lifestyles. Currently, a more comprehensive perspective dealing with these aspects is needed to promote healthy habits in children and develop effective health education programmes. Design An exploratory randomized controlled trial. Methods A convenience sample of 30 children (5 and 6 years old) will be recruited from a public school in Spain, with 15 participants in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. Participants in the experimental group will receive the first unit of the programme, consisting of developing emotional knowledge skills around daily health habits (eating, hygiene, sleep and physical exercise) using different game-based dynamics and an emotional diary, while those in the control group will continue with their usual school routine. Outcome measures include emotional knowledge ability, basic social skills and children's health profile. The perceived impact of the intervention by parents, acceptability (by parents and children) and feasibility of the programme will be also assessed. Data will be collected at baseline, post- intervention and at 7-month follow-up. Discussion This study offers an innovative intervention aimed at improving children's healthy lifestyles from an holistic perspective by addressing social and emotional competence as one of the most influential aspects of children's development. This exploratory trial is an essential step to explore crucial aspects of the full scale clinical trial. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.