Special Program in Nutrition

Now in its 17th year, the Special Program in Nutrition (SPIN) is the Institute’s educational program about nutrition and heart disease for elementary school children. The principles of SPIN reflect the 1993 population-based strategy of the National Cholesterol Education Program: a diet that is moderately low in total and saturated fat, exercise, and weight control. These principles were not well accepted when SPIN was developed in 1983, but are recognized as being especially important today as there has been a 50% increase in the number of overweight children in the United States during the last decade.

A key factor in the success of SPIN as a tool for modifying lifestyle factors related to heart disease is the integration of an educational component for parents into the curriculum that is taught to third- and fourth-grade school children. The teaching materials were updated several years ago and include all the references, teaching instructions, and handouts that are required. The completeness of the curriculum has enhanced acceptance of SPIN, which is in use in over 75 school systems in the United States and 12 foreign countries.

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