Mexico is one of the countries with the highest number of overweight children
and adolescents in the world and, unfortunately, schools are an important cause
of this problem. Despite the efforts of the Mexican Government in creating new
regulations to reduce the availability of high-calorie food products within and
near schools, their implementation has not been successful.

To contribute to the alarming problem of childhood obesity in Mexico, this
project explored the interactions children have with food at the primary
school context. The main motivation was to propose a new perspective on the
approaches that can be explored when thinking of potential solutions to this
important health emergency. To do so, research was conducted in a city located
in the central area of the country, and it was guided by the research question
“What are the determinants of children’s food choices at primary schools in
Querétaro, Mexico?”

A combination of different research methods was used to give answer to
the previous question: an explorative approach through generative research
techniques such as Context-mapping and Co-design, and a theoretical approach
through the Behaviour Change Wheel model. Through this method it was
possible to uncover problems that provide a new perspective on children’s eating
behaviours, such as their partial knowledge of healthy and unhealthy products
and the lack of support in building positive associations with food.

Based on these findings, the goal of this project was to generate a design that
motivates children from the Naciones Unidas and José Morales Lira primary
schools to develop a balanced diet by creating positive associations with healthy
food during their school experience.

As a result, a class activity was designed serving the functions of providing
a comprehensive education around food options, incentivising children to
perform healthier eating practices, providing them with examples of how to
do it, and enabling them to construct their own balanced meals. Additionally, a
restructuring of the communication language was proposed, in hope of shaping
more non restrictive relationships between children and food.
Finally, the activity was tested with a small group of children, and assessed by
primary schools professors to obtain insights into the steps that can be taken to
extend the impact of this intervention, with the goal of promoting and sustaining
healthy behaviours among children.