Cancer prevention in schools: design and pilot testing of a nutritional curriculum for mid-adolescents

Adolescents at schools ought to be easy to reach for dietary cancer prevention programs. Yet, traditional school health education interventions, however, do not affect behavior. We have a developed short-term (10 hour) program that supports adolescents in adopting a low-fat, high-fiber diet. The aim has been achieved by making the classroom activities work as part of a community intervention program and by including elements derived from Bandura's social learning theory and the self-efficacy construct. Following the theoretical constructs, the students are exposed to peers reporting on appropriate dietary behavior. In order to enhance self-efficacy, students are given the opportunity to experience successful self-initiated dietary changes. Thus, they set up an individual dietary goal and carry out changes based on this. A pilot test indicated that the program process works as planned. However, in order to evaluate behavioral effects, further studies are required.