Zeitschrift für Adipositas- und Gewichtsverlusttherapie

Abstrakt

Eating Habits and Physical Activity in School children: A Comparison Before and After Summer Vacations

Perez-Lizaur AB

In the last two decades the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased considerably and has become one of the biggest challenges for Public Health in Mexico. Childhood obesity causes a wide range of adverse health effects, including chronic diseases that frequently result in premature death. According to the National Survey of Nutrition and Health-2006 (ENSANUT 2006) the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren has increased from 18.6% to 26% in a period of 7 years, whereas at present one out of three adolescents are overweight or obese. Although obesity is multi-causal, there are more environmental variables which have been linked to the increase in its prevalence. 6-7 Childhood is an excellent opportunity for the prevention of overweight and obesity, as in this period, the habits and lifestyles that largely condition the eating behavior in adulthood are established. For this reason, and due to the fact that children spend many hours in school, has caused big interest in establishing educational programs to help in the prevention of overweight and obesity in children. However, its effectiveness is still controversial; some authors have blamed the schools for causing weight gain in the students by providing processed foods with high energy content and insufficient time for physical activity. In contrast, other studies suggest that school environment is not the most influential factor on the state of child nutrition, especially in urban areas where limitations on sports infrastructure and public insecurity limit outdoor physical and recreational activities, replacing them with the passive entertainment like watching TV or using computers or video games. In addition, the incorporation of women into the professional world has changed the eating habits of the family because the home-cooked meals have been replaced by fast food, which tend to have high energy