OKkio – Watch your Health and PinC Monitoring Systems

As part of the educational courses promoted by the “National information and communication programme to support the objectives of Gaining Health” (PinC), dedicated to the professionals involved in the "OKkio –Watch Your Health” monitoring system, communication products have been designed for various population groups pertaining to the school system (students and parents, school directors and teachers) through which to implement integrated communication and education initiatives. OKkio – Watch Your Health enables all Italian regions to collect information on the weight and behavioural risk factors of children (8-9 years old) in elementary school, as well as on school initiatives promoting healthy eating habits and exercising. The information is collected in schools through four questionnaires and the children are measured and weighed using standardised procedures and instruments throughout the country; this standardisation ensures the accuracy of estimates and reproducibility. Health and school professionals are actively involved in the monitoring process.

Target: primary school students, teachers and parents. 
Products: printed, digital and multimedia material.
http://www.epicentro.iss.it/okkioallasalute/Materiali,
https://www.epicentro.iss.it/guadagnare-salute/comunicazione/bambini

Printed material for schools and teachers
The “Rope-skipping Kangaroo” kit includes several communication tools to be promoted in primary schools, developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, the MIUR, the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, the Italian Society of Paediatrics and the Italian Federation of Paediatricians, and with all the Regional Contact Persons of OKkio – Watch Your Health. The Rope-skipping Kangaroo totem, to be placed at the school entrance, features an inverted food pyramid which provides information on proper eating habits and promotes exercise, with clear and fun messages for children and all the people involved in the school context. This totem has also been made in poster format to facilitate printing. The totem is accompanied by an interactive educational poster consisting of 8 cards, to be used in class, to convey some key messages (e.g. on the moderate use of TV and video games); these cards are designed to help teachers to engage students and explain the illustrated topics. This poster is also available in a smaller format to make it easier to print (interactive educational poster in a simplified format).

This material has already been used by some 45,000 children for every data collection campaign and by 2000 teachers (Summary school report highlighting the main results of the monitoring system). 

Date of release: at every data collection campaign: 2008-2009; 2010; 2012; 2014; 2016; 2019. 
This product is available.
The " Rope-skipping Kangaroo" kit cannot be presented as an isolated tool but as part of a communication strategy planned and agreed at local level between schools and the healthcare sector. 

Printed material for parents
The leaflet designed for parents: "Promoting a healthy growth: useful information for parents and children", highlights the importance of cooperation between families, schools and health professionals to promote the health and healthy growth of children. It describes the main results of the OKkio – Watch Your Health monitoring system and offers tips that may be useful to parents in making healthy choices. 

Date of release: with every survey: 2008/9; 2010; 2012; 2014; 2016; 2019. This material has already been used by some 45,000 children for every survey and their parents. 
This product is available. 
The leaflet cannot be presented as an isolated tool but as part of a communication strategy planned and agreed at the local level between schools and the healthcare sector. 

Digital and multimedia materials

• the multimedia “Fork and Sport” educational kit, created by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the MIUR, the ISS, the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition and the Regions, is designed to be used by teachers with elementary school children and is divided into five educational animation units plus a manual for teachers 
• the video was made in partnership with the Italian Society of Paediatrics and the Italian Federation of Paediatricians. "Food has its weight in always being up to the task" and "Exercising and eating better in order to grow healthier!" are the slogans used in the video 

Produced in 2010 and was adopted in every data collection campaign (2010; 2012; 2014; 2016; 2019). Used by some 45,000 children and 2000 teachers at every data collection campaign. 

These products are available.

The multimedia “Fork and Sport” educational kit cannot be presented as an isolated tool but as part of a communication strategy planned and agreed at the local level between schools and the healthcare sector. 

Organization of reference: National Centre for Disease prevention and health promotion
Contact persons: Angela Spinelli, Barbara De Me