Fundación Caja Navarra has decided to finance the CRECES Program (Cuidándote: Reforzando la Education para la salud en la skill Emocional y Social) of the University of Navarra. The goal of the study is to increase the acquisition of healthy life habits in childhood.

This pilot program, in which 38 children from Navarre aged 5 and 6 participated, consisted of an intervention to improve emotional awareness and basic social skills as part of healthy lifestyles.

During five weeks, partner-emotional competencies have been worked on through experiences related to food, hygiene and autonomy staff, physical activity and sleep and rest habits. For assessment different games and activities based on active learning strategies and dynamics of group.

The CRECES program, endowed with 6,000 euros, is directed by Olga López de Dicastillo and Agurtzane Mujika Zabaleta, PhDs from the School Nursing Department and members of the high school de research Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA). Results are expected in September.

For a healthy social and emotional child development

There is currently an increase in childhood disorders affected by psychosocial factors that directly influence health. According to the last annual report of the Mental Health Directorate of the Government of Navarra (2013), more than 10% of the child population suffers from these problems. To address them, it is necessary that the different professionals who are in contact with children work together in their promotion, prevention and treatment.

The CRECES program, which is part of the doctoral thesis of Elena Bermejo, researcher at the School of Nursing of the University of Navarra, shows the role of nursing as "a fundamental professional to promote the well-being of children from an integral conception of health, including actions that not only promote their physical health, but also their social and emotional dimension". "A very deficient work in this area on the part of nursing that, up to now, has been mainly focused on the more physical aspects of health, or in its case, with a preventive character oriented to the early detection of psychosocial problems", points out the researcher.

This program is framed within project SINERGIA, a broad study of the academic center that aims to develop, implement and evaluate, in the medium-long term deadline, interventions aimed at health promotion and disease prevention in the child population, working from various fields (family, educational and health), and taking into account both the needs of children and their families, as well as the resources and context.