Spain has been in alarm for years because of the incredible increase in childhood obesity figures.
In fact they have increased to the point of practically matching children in the United Kingdom, who were the ones with the highest obesity rates.
A health program called Thao, endorsed by the Spanish health administrations, has analyzed 10,000 children from five Spanish cities and has detected that 22.4% of children between 3 and 12 years suffer from excess weight: 10.4% are obese and the remaining 12% are overweight.
The group that most worries doctors is that of children between 3 and 5 years old (8.9% obese and 12.1% overweight) since it is a stage of intense muscle growth and they consider it as the stage in that the food predilections that will have the rest of the life begin. Apparently their diets are too fatty, salty and sweet.
An obese child has a high probability of maintaining this disease for the rest of his life, which will imply shorten your life by about 13 years. The Thao program will be extended this year to 30 Spanish municipalities and will reach 65,000 children under 12 years old.
It consists of the collection of data (height, weight and body mass index) in schools for a period of 5 years and in parallel to work with these data by developing programs aimed at school canteens, families, restaurants and their own children.
The goal is to promote water as a fundamental drink (children drink too many juices), discover fruit and natural food and give guidance to those who do not know how to cook in a healthy way.
Doctors commented that this origin of obesity is due to the tendency to feed babies under 3 years of age with prepared milks, excessively energetic, and also the increasing suppression of play spaces. "Many 2-year-olds spend up to three hours a day watching animated videos - said pediatrician Rafael Tojo -. The genes of the human being are prepared to do a great physical activity, which we do not do. "
We hope that these types of programs have some success to raise awareness among children and especially their elders of the importance of a varied and healthy diet.
If not, it is a matter of time before our children end up like many American children, who at 8 years are taking cholesterol medication to prevent heart problems. The same pills your grandparents could take.
