Influence of a community intervention of obesity and the lifestyle of schools in the rural area

Abstract

Introduction. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the school population is increasing in recent years, and its control is vital given the relationship between obesity and the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular causes and other causes. This study aimed to know the prevalence of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in a rural center of Castilla la Mancha and learn their eating habits and try  to influence them favorably through community activities in school.

Material and methods. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in a rural school in Castilla la Mancha. Initially, the BMI percentile data of the medical records of schoolchildren that were classified in the overweight and obesity categories were exploited with the WHO reference tables. Subsequently, a survey was carried out on the parents of schoolchildren via online about the type of feeding their children made, level of physical activity and time of sedentary leisure activities. Finally, 3 visual surveys were carried  out on the food they took for lunch at school, the first before the intervention with the children,  the second after their intervention and the third after the intervention with the parents. Statistical  calculations were performed with the statistical package SPSS version 20.

Results. The majority of schoolchildren were in normal weight (84.9%), the prevalence of overweight was 3.8% and that of obesity was 11.3%. Children consumed 93% white bread, 24% sugary cereals, 40 %% vegetables, 58% fruits, 31% white meats, 26% eggs, 41% whole milk, 48% cheese and 44% yogurt daily. Against it, there is a high daily consumption of red meat, 27%, 24% fast food, and 17% of industrial juices. They consume sugary sodas at least 44% weekly. With regard to physical exercise, the majority go to school on foot or by car in the same percentage, 87% do extracurricular sports, 78% of them 2-6 times a week. The time they spend watching television or video games varies from less than 1 hour to 2 hours during the week and on weekends 52% spend 2 hours on these activities. The foods that were most often taken to the center for lunch were sausage, cheese, bread and yogurt, and did not vary with interventions performed on children and parents.

Conclusions. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in rural schoolchildren was lower than in other studies carried out in Spain. The food was quite adjusted to the pyramid recommended by the SENC but there is still a long way to improve the objectives set. There were no changes in the school lunch foods after the interventions carried out in the school by health workers with both schoolchildren and parents.