Introduction: "J'aime manger, j'aime bouger, le guide nutrition pour les adolescents", ("I love to eat and move, the nutrition pamphlet for teenagers"), which is one of the eight information guides of the French Nutritional and Health Programme, is distributed annually by Santé publique France, the national public health agency, to 8th grade students by their biology teachers. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of this dissemination plan and the way 8th grade students and biology teachers perceive the pamphlet. Teenagers' knowledge of the French Nutritional and Health Programme's recommendations was also assessed.
Methods: This study was based on a mixed method and was conducted in 2015 on 432 8th grade students by face-to-face interviews at home and 20 8th grade biology teachers interviewed individually or during focus groups.
Results: The pamphlet obtained a recognition score of 40% among young people, who mostly saw it during a course at high school. 30% of teenagers reported having read or only skimmed through it and more than three-quarters reported that they liked the pamphlet. Teenagers and teachers found the pamphlet clear and accessible and globally appreciated the content, but they considered that it could be modernized.
Conclusion: Systematic distribution of the guide to students of a specific school grade is an efficient strategy to reach a maximum number of young people. It should be continued in the future. Modernization of the guide and improved support to teachers to distribute the guide could improve the performance of the programme.