The INFADIMED programme, an initiative of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) aimed at promoting healthy habits among children, has achieved a 14.5% increase in adherence to the Mediterranean diet and reduced overweight and obesity among participating children between its launch in 2011 and 2025. These are the findings of a study recently published in the journal Atención Primaria by a research team from the INFADIMED Research Group at the Jordi Gol Institute for Primary Care Research (IDIAPJGol). The study analyses the results obtained during the different phases of the programme and describes the role of community nurses in its implementation.
The initiative began 15 years ago in four schools in Vilafranca del Penedès and is now implemented in 331 schools across 43 municipalities in Catalonia. Since the project began, more than 13,000 children have participated.
The longitudinal study analyses the programme’s three phases over these 15 years. During the pilot phase (2011–2015), the results of an intervention group were compared with those of a control group that did not participate in the programme. During this phase, the percentage of children who were overweight in the intervention group fell from 22.9% to 16.6%, while in the control group it increased from 20.8% to 29.2%.
During the consolidation phase (2017–2023), adherence to the Mediterranean diet was compared among participating children before and after the intervention. Among the more than 2,100 pupils studied during this second phase, optimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet increased from 33.4% to 47.9%.
Regarding satisfaction, during the 2024–2025 academic year, 94% of school management teams and 93.5% of families rated the programme positively. Furthermore, 84% of families reported improvements in their own nutritional habits despite not having received any direct intervention. This suggests a multiplier effect, with children acting as agents of change within their households.
INFADIMED combines gamification and audiovisual storytelling (featuring the character Captain Vitamins) through annual sessions delivered by ICS primary care nurses, from early childhood education through to the sixth year of primary school. In 2023, the programme incorporated the SalutFlix digital platform and updated its messages in line with UNICEF recommendations to eliminate stigmatising references to body weight.
Jordi Fernández Blanco, coordinator of the INFADIMED Research Group at IDIAPJGol, ICS nurse and one of the authors of the article, highlights the central role of primary care nurses as a “key element in ensuring the continuity and sustainability of the programme”. He also points out that “the model can be transferred to other regions without the need for additional resources”.
The study acknowledges certain limitations, such as the absence of a control group in the more recent phases, and proposes that future research should assess the programme’s long-term impact during adolescence and its cost-effectiveness.
The study received funding from the ICS and was approved by the IDIAPJGol Clinical Research Ethics Committee.
Article reference
Ruiz-Mariscal E, Ollé-González M, Pallarés-Ejarque C, Fernández-Vallejo MM, Fernández-Blanco J, Fabrellas-Padres N; en nombre del grupo INFADIMED. INFADIMED: 15 años de educación en hábitos saludables desde atención primaria. Evolución, resultados y papel de la enfermera comunitaria [INFADIMED: 15 years of healthy lifestyle education from primary care. Evolution, results and the role of the community nurse]. Aten Primaria. 2026 Oct;58(10):103580. Spanish. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2026.103580. Epub 2026 Jul 10. PMID: 42431174; PMCID: PMC13376975.
