Design and validation of an Animated Character for Healthy Food Promotion in Mexican Schoolchildren
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2026.9792Keywords:
food and nutricion education, cartoons, children, health education, food and nutritional health promotionAbstract
Introduction: The food environment in Mexico promotes the consumption of unhealthy foods, with advertising characters being a common resource used by the food industry to encourage the consumption of ultra-processed among children. However, their effectiveness suggests potential for repurposing them into educational tools to promote healthy eating habits. The objective of this study was to design and validate an animated character to promote healthy foods among schoolaged children. Methodology: A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study with 70 children aged 6–12 years, carried out in two phases: 1) design and 2) validation of the animated character. Population validation was measured using a Likert scale (appearance) and a Stapel scale (attitudes and emotions), with a criterion of ≥4 considered acceptable. Informed consent was obtained from parents and assent from the children. Results: Acceptance of the character was positive (4.0, SD: 0.86; “I like it”). The highest-rated attributes were “Intelligent” (μ: 4.18, SD: 1.26), “Friendly” (μ: 4.14, SD: 1.37), “Fun” (μ: 4.09, SD: 1.18), and “Trustworthy” (μ: 4.06, SD: 1.21), with no differences across school grades. Conclusions: The animated character met the validation criteria, demonstrating favorable acceptance in appearance and positive attributes, confirming its potential use as an educational tool to promote healthy eating habits.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anaid Guadalupe Martín-Díaz, Virginia Gabriela Aguilera-Cervantes, Fatima Ezzahra Housni, Patricia Núñez-Gómez, Yolanda Campos-Uscanga, Nora Edith Rangel-Bernal
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