The latest WHO report on childhood obesity in Europe places Spain in the third country with the worst situation, after Cyprus and Greece (2022). 39% of children are overweight and 29% have reached levels of obesity. "Most of these children will become obese adults," warns the report at risk of cardiovascular and respiratory problems, pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, or tumors. "Obesity implies loss of quality and life expectancy, repercussions on mental health, increased consumption of drugs, health resources and reduced productivity."
The problem is of such magnitude that the WHO encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles with the complicity of all of society, from politicians to doctors, teachers, food industries, marketing and advertising managers, as well as the media.
The prevalence of obesity is higher in boys (31%) than in girls (28%). Only 13% of minors consume a portion of vegetables at least once a day. Less than 40% eat a piece of fresh fruit daily.
One of the causes is that the levels of physical activity prior to the pandemic have not been recovered. Children play with screens, sitting down, and not on the street or in the parks. And to this has been added the economic and energy crisis that has triggered the prices of food such as fruits and vegetables. The WHO fears that diets will worsen and their consumption in vulnerable families will further decrease.
The worst habits are associated with lower educational levels of parents. It has been found that children do not eat breakfast, do not eat fresh fruit and vegetables, drink more sugary soft drinks and do not do sports or physical activities. In addition, the humblest population lives in smaller apartments and in neighborhoods with fewer options for practicing sports or going for a walk.
"Physical activity should be encouraged at school, in leisure time, when traveling home," says Montserrat Romaguera, from the SemFYC society of family and sports doctors. This entity has requested that physical activity be increased in schools, recommending at least one hour of sport a day. It is also proposed to encourage families to find other moments to move their bodies such as walking or cycling to school, as 41% of European children do.
