(ANSA) – ROME, OCTOBER 15 – The ViviSmart project begins in Italian primary schools. On the occasion of World Food Day, which is celebrated tomorrow 16 October, the Italian Society of Paediatrics (SIP) aims to educate children about conscious food choices and a healthy lifestyle, involving over 50 schools throughout Italy. The program includes educational meetings and fun activities to raise awareness among fourth and fifth grade students of the importance of a balanced diet and regular physical activity.
“The acquisition of correct eating habits and healthy lifestyles must begin from childhood, and the ViviSmart project is an important resource to achieve this objective. We are honored to carry forward this initiative, contributing in a concrete way to the well-being of children and their families,” declares SIP President Annamaria Staiano. According to the latest report from the WHO’s Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, Italy ranks among the top in Europe for the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children. In our country, the Okkio alla Salute report by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità finds that 19% of boys and girls aged 8-9 are overweight, while 9.8% are obese. The main risk factor is an incorrect lifestyle, characterized by bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. 25.4% of children consume sugary/carbonated drinks daily, 24.3% consume fruit and/or vegetables less than once a day, 48.3% consume sweet snacks and 9.4% consume more salty snacks. 3 days a week. Added to this is a sedentary lifestyle, with 44.5% of children spending more than 2 hours a day in front of TV and/or video games/tablets/mobile phones and 20.3% of children who did not do any physical activity on the day preceding the investigation. The campaign will end on 15 May 2025, on the occasion of World Family Day, with the administration of an evaluation questionnaire to measure the impact of the project on children’s habits. The data collected will help further refine SIP’s educational interventions, strengthening its commitment to the fight against childhood obesity. The initiative, originally developed in 2017 by the aBCD Alliance (formed by Barilla, Coop and Danone) and supported by the Ministry of Health, was donated to SIP in 2023 to ensure its diffusion throughout the national territory and the strengthening of its commitment in promoting correct lifestyles among children. (HANDLE).