Childhood and youth obesity is one of the problems that most affects this population in the developed world. It has to be prevented and intervened from different areas, the family being probably the first one involved. But also from school you can prevent obesity promoting good habits.
These are some of the interventions that can be carried out in the school environment to prevent obesity, according to experts who elaborate the "Clinical Practice Guide on the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood and Young Obesity".
They are desirable points in every educational center, for the realization of which both the awareness of the educational community and the development of programs and the allocation of resources allocated to it are necessary.
The school must promote physical education and sports activity, in and out of it.
Schools should include educational programs aimed at improving diet, physical activity and reducing sedentary lifestyle, which include family and academic staff.
School interventions must be maintained over time, throughout school courses and continued outside the school environment.
School food intake should be healthy, including variety of fruits and vegetables and low-fat foods and sugars However, many school canteens do not provide balanced menus.
The implementation of multidisciplinary interventions in schools and institutes is recommended to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables in children and adolescents. There is a proposal at European level to bring free fruits and vegetables to schools.
At school it is necessary to create a healthy dietary environment, reducing accessibility to high-calorie foods (vending machines) and facilitating the consumption of healthy foods.
The promotion of the practice of physical activity in children and adolescents is recommended through interventions aimed at more than one area (school, family, community), and including environmental interventions.
Both families and professionals working in the school must be included in the school health education programs.
It is recommended to promote activities in the school environment aimed at reducing the time spent watching television, playing video games, the computer or mobile phone.
The truth is that since the administrations fight because many of these points to prevent obesity from school They are carried out, although there is still a long way to go, and it is the families who should value and claim the importance of these healthy practices.
