The Department of Health will deploy a program to combat childhood obesity in 28 primary and community care teams in Catalonia, where one in three children between 6 and 12 years old is overweight and 12.6% suffer from obesity.
The initiative is based on the pilot experience of obesity prevention and care developed in La Mina between February 2021 and December 2022. This neighborhood of Sant Adrià del Besòs is the district in Catalonia with the highest percentage of minors at risk of poverty – according to Casal dels Infants-, one of the main factors of childhood overweight along with education.
At the Mine, eating habits have substantially improved, according to Salut. The consumption of sugary drinks has decreased by 49% among children who drank them three or more times a week and their hours of sleep, active play and sports have improved. At the same time, there is a significant decrease in the time spent on screens.
The 28 primary care teams chosen to extend the plan have a higher prevalence of excess weight in children than in the rest of Catalonia. The objective is to improve nutrition and encourage physical activity. There will also be an emphasis on emotional support, sleep, positive parenting and community participation.
Salut will train professionals and work with local and community entities in each area to identify resources and carry out joint community actions to promote healthy habits. From before pregnancy until adolescence, there will be individual and family consultations, with continuous long-term support.
At the presentation of the program, developed at the CAP Besòs in Barcelona, the Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, referred to the percentage (12.6%) of childhood obesity in Catalonia: “The data tells us that they consume sugary drinks, "They spend time on screens and do little physical activity, and this situation is a certain epidemic in society as a whole in Europe and will cause cardiovascular diseases that can be prevented."
According to Balcells, Salut intends to extend the plan to all primary and community care in Catalonia in the coming months. Along these lines, the councilor has called for “participation and awareness of families and society in general” in the strategy of preventing the most prevalent set of diseases from childhood.
Provisional data from the Catalan Health Survey indicate that 33.9% of children aged 6 to 12 are overweight (38.6% boys and 28.8%) girls, and 12.6% are obese ( 16.5% boys and 8.3% girls). The prevalence is more than 8 times higher in an area with a low socioeconomic level than in an area with a high level.
Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, gout or high blood pressure, among other pathologies. In the case of children, it can interfere with growth, school performance or social relationships.
