New report from the World Health Organization: our country comes second if we consider only obesity between the ages of 6 and 9. An investigation reveals the poor perception of the problem. Pediatricians: Parents push for healthy diet and exercise
Italy fourth in Europe for childhood overweight and obesitysurpassed only by Cyprus, Greece and Spain. If we consider only theobesiteven our country in second place. These are the new data from the Cosi report (Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative) of the European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO survey
The findings are based on data collected in 2018-2020 in 33 countries in the WHO European Region. Overall, almost 411,000 children aged 6-9 were monitored. In Europe, the overall percentage of 29% of children (aged 7-9) were overweight or obese, but the differences between countries are significant: from 6% in Tajikistan to 43% in Cyprus. L’Italia it also has among the highest percentages of children who spend at least an average of 2 hours a day in front of the television or screens: from 18% in Austria to 74% in San Marino, followed by Italy (72%) and Estonia (64%). With regard to lifestyles, the WHO report also shows that 67% (2 out of 3) of Italian children between 6 and 9 years goes to school by car against a European average of 50%.
National data
Italian children eat too much, exercise too little and spend too many hours in front of a screen. The national data of OKkio alla SALUTE, the surveillance system on overweight and obesity (and related risk factors) in Italian primary school children, in the latest survey dating back to pre-pandemic 2019 showed a percentage of overweight children by 20.4% and obese children by 9.4%. In the Southern Regions the figures rise: Campania and Calabria bring up the rear. In 2019, the habit of not eating breakfast (8.7%) or consuming it inadequately (35.6%) was still marked, as was the use of a large mid-morning snack (55.2%). The non-daily consumption of fruit and/or vegetables by children, according to what was declared by the parents, remained high (24.3%); however, the daily intake of sugary and/or carbonated drinks decreased (25.4%). 20.3% of children in 2019 had not done any physical activity the day before the survey, 43.5% still had a TV in their bedroom and 44.5% of children spent more than 2 hours a day in front of TV/Tablet/Mobile.
Parental fault?
Eyes on parents, in the case of primary school children: The trend described, compared to the previous report, indicates a slight improvement, especially for the female sex, but certainly not enough – the President of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, Annamaria Staiano declares to Ansa -. A real cultural change must be encouraged that sees a healthy lifestyle for childhood and adolescence as the basis for a healthy future.
A particular focus of the Italian survey on maternal perception the state of health of their children reveals how 40.3% of overweight or obese children are perceived by their mothers as under-normal weight; 59.1% of mothers of physically inactive children believe that their child has adequate physical activity and among mothers of overweight or obese children, 69.9% think that the amount of food eaten by their child is not excessive.
The abandoned Mediterranean diet
Despite the continuous scientific confirmations on the absolute validity of the Mediterranean diet for a healthy physique and maintaining a correct weight, many abandon it or do not follow it correctly: the data collected as part of the information campaign on lifestyles has revealed this. Treating Health, elaborated by Censis. Only oil maintains good levels of consumption while other typical products of the Mediterranean diet, from vegetables to fish, from legumes to pasta, are falling back. The reasons are varied, according to experts, and range from the limited time available to prepare meals which makes us lean towards ready-to-eat products to new food trends, which are not necessarily healthy.
Bringing the family’s diet back to the poor (not holidays) diet of the grandparents (or great-grandparents) would be an antidote to the overweight epidemic.
November 16, 2022 (change November 16, 2022 | 15:42)
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