Background
In 1992 the Saxon State Ministry for Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry initiated the project "Nutrition Education Saxony". At the beginning of 1999 the DGE took charge of it. On the basis of the scientific recommendations for the nutrient intake of the DGE women are working with children at the age of 4 to 10 years in children’s institutions and schools as well as with multipliers. From 1997 up to 2000 the Research Association Public Health Saxony has evaluated the project by carrying out an intervention-control-study.

Aim
To promote a nutritional behaviour of children which maintains or enhances well-being, pleasure and health.

The philosophy of the project is best expressed by the German saying: "Things which are not learned by little John are not learned anymore by tall John."

Methods
The project is focusing on the selection of food and the composition of meals.

Children are encouraged to try playfully and to make their own practical experience, especially with the help of their senses.

Results
There is an increase in the number of project women from 23 to 80 during the last years and in the number of project measures from 700 per year to more than 5 000 in 2001.

The evaluation confirmed the effectiveness of the project with regard to children’s nutritional knowledge, their attitude and behaviour. The effects on knowledge and attitude have been stronger and more stable than the effects on children’s behaviour.

Conclusions
In principle the project is suited to effective health promotion. The evaluation showed that it is more efficient to apply a given project measure to the same selected children several times than to try to reach all children only once. In addition the practical part of the project measures, especially the own doing, should be strengthened furthermore.