Children who eat in private dining rooms have higher rates of overweight than those who eat in public dining rooms

This is the conclusion reached after evaluating the results obtained in the last census of weight and height carried out by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP).

Children who eat in private dining rooms have higher rates of overweight than those who eat in public dining rooms. The census, carried out with the participation of more than 300,000 schoolchildren, has revealed that the problems of overweight of children have skyrocketed in recent years.

Cases of overweight and childhood obesity have increased by 12% in recent years

So much so that if we look back and compare the current results with those that were obtained in the census of weight and height of 2008, carried out by the National Nutrition Survey, the problem of overweight in children has gone from 21% in 2008 to 34% recorded by this last evaluation.

A difference that is even greater in the case of children who eat in private school canteens, where the results of the census exceed the 34% expected in children between six and 12 years old who eat in public canteens, rising to 38% in the case of minors who eat from private dining rooms.

This alarming increase of 12% more children with obesity problems in just eight years has been responsible for creating alarm in the education authorities, who have committed to start a new plan of eating and healthy habits in their public centers.

Only school canteens or other habits of our children count

Is this increase in children with problems of overweight solely due to the feeding supplied in public or private centers, or should more attention be paid to the rest of the meals in the homes and to the sedentary habits of many of the children?

Preventing childhood obesity is essential to rule out possible future healthy problems for children. From we ask you this question: do you think that the increase in overweight children has to do only with the food of the dining rooms ?

We will see what the data of the next census foreseen for the year 2018 show us.