Evaluation of Problem-Based Learning Experiences Addressed to Health Promotion in the Fourth Grade of Primary School

The global issues of overweight and sedentary lifestyles demand comprehensive responses from health systems, yet health education still needs to be more cohesive and less sporadic. This study focuses on primary school children as a specific target for instilling healthy habits, employing ac-tive learning strategies to address healthy diet and physical activity. Through Problem-Based Learning projects, the study engaged fourth-grade primary students in acquiring healthy habits. The study was carried out over four consecutive years at a school with two lines, allowing the employment of an opportunity sample and evaluating intervention and control groups by com-paring their corresponding scores. Control groups integrated a total of 54 students, while the in-tervention group included a total of 159 students. A pre-test and post-test questionnaire were used for data collection. Evaluation differential scores revealed statistically significant higher scores in the intervention groups: 3.62 points in control groups and 6,94 in intervention groups, particu-larly in attitudinal competences. These strategies not only facilitated the development of crucial skills such as information search, synthesis, representation, analysis, decision-making, teamwork, and intrapersonal awareness but also significantly broadened the knowledge acquired in aspects related to healthy habits. This approach proved effective in helping children comprehend the im-portance of healthy choices and encouraged integrating such habits into their daily lives.