Child narrative in school settings. A strategy for health promotion

Objective.To describe the process of capacity building of an elementary school in Mexico City to promote healthy diet, physical activity and obesity preventive measures, within the Health Promoting School (HPS) initiative, underpinned by a human functioning approach. Materials and methods. The project of HPS had a methodological design of participatory action research, which was adapted and integrated to a participatory method of planning-action-evaluation with a model of collaborative and group learning; thus narrative was defined as a strategy. Results. The participation of children in the process contributed to the development of a set of capabilities related to school performance, socialization, coexistence, diet, physical activity and others related to health in general. Conclusions.The HPS enhances the development of individual and collective capacities of school-aged children that allows them to achieve favorable performances for their health, including diet and physical activity.