[INFADIMED: 15 years of healthy lifestyle education from primary care. Evolution, results and the role of the community nurse].

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the results obtained in the different implementation phases of the INFADIMED program and to describe the role of the community nurse in its development and sustainability.

DESIGN

A longitudinal descriptive study of the trajectory of the INFADIMED program (2011-2025), with a mixed design integrating several evaluations: a quasi-experimental pilot phase with a control group and subsequent phases with a pre-post design without a control group.

SETTING

Early childhood and primary schools in Catalonia linked to primary care.

PARTICIPANTS

Pilot phase: 625 students and 880 controls. Consolidation: 2,132 students. Expansion: ∼13,000 students in 331 schools across 43 municipalities, teachers, and families.

INTERVENTIONS: A progressive program (early childhood to 6th grade of primary school), featuring 4-5 annual sessions of 30-45minutes, delivered by nurses through gamification and audiovisual storytelling, with a methodological update in 2023 and the digital platform SalutFlix.

MEASUREMENTS: BMI, KIDMED index, and satisfaction surveys administered to teachers and families.

RESULTS

In the pilot phase, excess weight decreased from 22.9% to 16.6% (intervention, p<0.01) and increased from 20.8% to 29.2% (control, p<0.001). In 2017-2023, optimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet improved from 33.4% to 47.9% (p<0.001). In 2024-2025, 94% of teachers and 93.5% of families rated the program positively; 84% reported an improvement in nutritional habits.

CONCLUSIONS

INFADIMED demonstrates sustained improvements in the Mediterranean diet and childhood weight after 15 years. The community nurse is a key figure, consolidating a reproducible school model integrated into primary care.