Program expansion aims to offer scalable, flexible and cost-effective models of early childhood health promotion, while ensuring quality and impact.

“Listos a Jugar” Program

“En 2009 educamos y seguimos a una muestra de 1.250 niños colombianos de 3 a 7 años de edad durante tres años. El plan es hacer un seguimiento de la muestra hasta el 2030. El ganador de este proyecto es la perseverancia.”

Dr. Valentín Fuster

“Listos a Jugar” Preventive Health Program Expansion- Latin America 2019-2022 Sesame Workshop and Mount Sinai Valentín Fuster Foundation

A long-term collaboration between Sesame and Mount Sinai Valentín Fuster Foundation.

For more than a decade Sesame has collaborated with Dr. Valentín Fuster to promote cardiovascular health and well-being by educating children to lead healthier lifestyles in Colombia, Spain and Harlem. Jointly, a muppet was created (Dr. Ruster) as well as media and outreach materials. Over this period of time Dr. Fuster’s team has conducted rigorous research on the long-term benefits of using Sesame Street materials in preschool health promotion interventions has during the preschool years.

“Listos a Jugar”

Building on this initial work, Sesame’s Listos a Jugar program launched 3 years ago as a regional response to the high incidence of obesity and diabetes in children in Latin America. The program has reached over 11 million people largely through mass media distribution. Initially funded by public and private partners [1], included a 26-episode television series, digital assets including an app and a website, and resources for caregivers and educators. Since then, it has been distributed in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and other Central American countries.

“Listos a Jugar” Expansion

The renewal of this collaboration will focus on updating and expanding the program based on research findings from Mount Sinai Valentín Fuster Foundation. The expansion will be comprised of 5 components.

Expansion components

1. Extend mass media reach and launch specific healthy lifestyles campaigns

Repackaging of Listos a Jugar series into shorter theme-focused episodes for distribution through various platforms
Produce new content to cover existing gaps in themes and bolster outreach.

2. Deepen engagement in school and community center-based interventions. Refine the school-based intervention model based on scientific evidence and lessons learned from previous phases [2]. Specific objectives include:

Updated multimedia community engagement content
Pilots implemented in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico
Longitudinal data collection and indicator-tracking for practitioners and participants

3. Build health care system outreach

Qualitative research to understand the needs of medical practitioners
Multimedia resources for use in medical facilities by health service providers
Pilot implementation in Colombia

4. Expand and deepen self-adoption outreach (B2C)

Facilitate the tailoring and integration of the program into new institutional settings
Online learning platform featuring child, parent and partner facing content

5. Continue research in new communities to further validate the approach for broader adoption
Mount Sinai Valentín Fuster Foundation will conduct the CHILDREN PROJECT (CHIldren´s Lifestyle, Diet and exeRcise intErveNtion) an interventional study in New York City using an evidence-based 4-month health promotion curriculum in public schools from different socioeconomic status in the 5 boroughs, enrolling 2,500 children between 4 and 5 years of age with an average follow-up of 30 months.

Expansion Outcomes

Reach and promote broad awareness around the importance of healthy habits in 15 million people in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico
Demonstrate changes in health-related attitudes, knowledge and behaviors in children in the region through school and community-based interventions
Develop and refine a scalable model of health promotion for cardiovascular diseases in Latin America that maintains minimum levels of quality and impact for millions of adopters
Validate approach for expansion to other regions of the world

¹FEMSA Foundation, Carlos Slim Foundation, UNICEF, Ministry of Health (Mexico), Canal Once and TV Ecuador and Sesame Workshop.
²In this phase Mount Sinai will conduct a prospective interventional study using an evidence-based 4-month health promotion curriculum in public schools from different socioeconomic status in the 5 boroughs of NYC, enrolling 2,500 children between 4 and 5 years of age with an average follow-up of 30 months. Sesame will provide materials and input on content. This program is contingent on securing larger grant from the NIH.

Referencias

Céspedes J, Fuster V et al. Am J Med, 2013, 126(1):27-35 e3. Targeting preschool children to promote cardiovascular health: cluster randomized trial.
Céspedes J,Fuster V et al. Am J Med, 2013, 126(12):1122-6. Promotion of cardiovascular health in preschool children: 36-month cohort follow-up.