[Reversion of overweight and obesity in Vilafranca del Penedès child population: ACTIVA'T Program (2012)]

[Nutritional status and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the school population of the city of Mataró (Catalonia, Spain)]

BACKGROUND

there is a decrease in adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and an increase in the prevalence of excess weight among the Spanish child and adolescent population.

OBJECTIVES

the objective of the present study was to determine the degree of adherence to MD and the nutritional status of the school population of Mataró (Spain) in order to obtain useful information for the design and application of future interventions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

a cross-sectional descriptive, observational study was carried out in a sample of 1177 schoolchildren between 6 and 18 years of age. The KIDMED index was used to assess adherence to MD, and the body mass index (BMI) to assess nutritional status. Questions were related to the students' perception of access to unhealthy foods, availability of money and parental interest in receiving nutrition education.

RESULTS

the percentage of children and adolescents with optimal adherence to MD does not reach 50 %, with secondary school youths presenting a lower percentage (30 %). Regarding the nutritional status of the sample, more than 70 % had a normal nutritional status according to their BMI, and 20.7 % of primary school students and 13.8 % of secondary school students were classified as overweight.

CONCLUSIONS

the data confirm the interest of designing and implementing educational actions involving both students and parents, with the aim of improving the eating habits of the population. The results suggest that availability of money may facilitate access to unhealthy foods and, therefore, the promotion of healthy environments that increase the supply of healthy foods should be considered.

The treatment of obesity in children and adolescents: consensus position statement of the Italian society of pediatric endocrinology and diabetology, Italian Society of Pediatrics and Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery

This Position Statement updates the different components of the therapy of obesity (lifestyle intervention, drugs, and surgery) in children and adolescents, previously reported in the consensus position statement on pediatric obesity of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology and the Italian Society of Pediatrics. Lifestyle intervention is the first step of treatment. In children older than 12 years, pharmacotherapy is the second step, and bariatric surgery is the third one, in selected cases. Novelties are available in the field of the medical treatment of obesity. In particular, new drugs demonstrated their efficacy and safety and have been approved in adolescents. Moreover, several randomized control trials with other drugs are in process and it is likely that some of them will become available in the future. The increase of the portfolio of treatment options for obesity in children and adolescents is promising for a more effective treatment of this disorder.

Mediterranean diet and adiposity in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Our aim was to summarize, through a systematic review, the current evidence from dietary intervention and observational studies on the impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on adiposity markers and obesity in children and adolescents. We searched Medline up to June 1, 2021 for the identification of intervention and observational studies meeting the inclusion criteria, following the PRISMA statement. We included 55 articles: 8 intervention studies and 47 observational studies. Three trials report a beneficial effect of the dietary intervention, whereas two did not, and three did not compare with a control. All observational studies were cross-sectional, and only five studies also included a longitudinal analysis. More than half of the cross-sectional studies found no significant association between adherence to Mediterranean diet and adiposity. Three out of the five longitudinal studies found a negative association. The majority of both observational and intervention studies was of low quality. Despite a large number of published studies, overall, there is only limited evidence of a beneficial effect of following a traditional Mediterranean diet to maintain a healthy body weight in childhood. More high-quality intervention and longitudinal data are needed to form the base of large-scale health programs to prevent childhood obesity.