RT Journal Article
T1 Early Nutritional Education in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity
A1 Gato-Moreno, Mario
A1 Martos-Lirio, María F.
A1 Leiva-Gea, Isabel
A1 Bernal-López, Rosa M.
A1 Vegas-Toro, Fernando
A1 Fernández-Tenreiro, María C.
A1 López-Siguero, Juan P.
K1 Body mass index
K1 Overweight
K1 Childhood obesity
K1 Preschool
K1 Early intervention
K1 Educational
K1 Healthy diet
K1 Prevention
K1 Pediatric obesity
K1 Indice de masa corporal
K1 Sobrepeso
K1 Obesidad pediátrica
K1 Preescolar
K1 Intervención médica temprana
K1 Educación
K1 Alimentación saludable
K1 Prevención de enfermedades
AB Early childhood is a critical period for obesity prevention. This randomized controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention preventing obesity in preschool-age children. A nutritional education intervention, with a follow-up session one year later, was conducted with parents of children aged 3 to 4 years of public schools in the province of Málaga. The main outcome variable was the body mass index z-score (zBMI). The prevalence of overweight or obesity was the secondary outcome variable. The sample comprised 261 students (control group = 139). Initial BMI, weight, height-for-age and prevalence of overweight and obesity were similar for both groups. After the first year of the intervention, the zBMI of the intervention group decreased significantly from 0.23 to 0.10 (p = 0.002), and the subgroup of patients with baseline zBMI above the median decreased from 1 to 0.72 (p = 0.001), and in the second year from 1.01 to 0.73 (p = 0.002). The joint prevalence of overweight and obesity increased in the control group (12.2% to 20.1%; p = 0.027), while in the intervention group, there were no significant changes. This preschool educational intervention with parents improved their children's BMI, especially those with a higher BMI for their age, and favored the prevention of overweight or obesity.
PB MDPI
SN 1661-7827
YR 2021
FD 2021-06-18
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/4461
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/4461
LA en
NO Gato-Moreno M, Martos-Lirio MF, Leiva-Gea I, Bernal-López MR, Vegas-Toro F, Fernández-Tenreiro MC, et al. Early Nutritional Education in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 18;18(12):6569
DS RISalud
RD Apr 17, 2025