BackgroundObesity has become a global public health problem, which also affects children. It has been proposed that the educational interventions during childhood could be a key strategy in the prevention of obesity.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of an intervention on food habits and physical activity in school children.MethodsA 2-year cluster-randomised prospective study with two parallel arms was used to evaluate an intervention programme in children in their first year of primary schooling (5–6 years of age) in schools in the city of Granollers. The intervention consisted of the promotion of healthy eating habits and physical activity by means of the educational methodology Investigation, Vision, Action and Change (IVAC). At the beginning and at the end of the study (2006 and 2008) the weight and height of each child was measured in situ, while the families were given a self-report physical activity questionnaire and the Krece Plus quick test.ResultsTwo years after the beginning of the study, the body mass index of the children in the control group was 0.89 kg/m2 higher than that of the intervention schools. The intervention reduced by 62% the prevalence of overweight children. Similarly, the proportion of children that ate a second piece of fruit and took part in an after-school physical activity increased in the intervention group. In the control group, the weekly consumption of fish was reduced.ConclusionsThe educational intervention in healthy eating habits and physical activity in the school could contribute to lessen the current increase in child obesity.

Objective: To investigate the sociodemographic risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Mediterranean population of Catalonia, Spain. Design and setting: Data from the cross-sectional, population-based [2002][2003] Health Survey of Catalonia were analysed. The survey used a structured questionnaire to collect information on demographics, lifestyle and medical history. In a sub-sample of the original survey population anthropometrics and blood pressure were measured and blood samples were taken to determine HDL cholesterol, TAG and fasting glucose. Subjects: The analysis included the 1104 individuals aged 18-74 years from this sub-sample who had complete information on all variables necessary to define MetS using the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Results: MetS prevalence was 28?5 % and 24?8 % according to IDF and ATP III criteria, respectively. MetS was significantly (P 5 0?05) more common in males than females. MetS prevalence increased significantly (P,0?001) with age and degree of adiposity and as social class decreased. In general, MetS prevalence decreased as physical activity increased, which was significant (P 5 0?0253) when applying ATP III criteria. After taking into account important confounders, MetS prevalence was significantly positively associated with male gender, age, BMI, physical inactivity and lower social class. Smoking status, marital status and working situation were not independently associated with MetS. Conclusions: Age, sex, degree of adiposity, physical activity and social class are the sociodemographic risk factors independently associated with MetS in this Mediterranean population. Understanding which factors predict MetS is important considering likely increasing MetS trends, and is useful for determining public health strategies. Keywords Metabolic syndrome Sociodemographic risk factors Mediterranean populationThe term metabolic syndrome (MetS) describes a clustering of risk factors for CVD. MetS is characterised by the presence of insulin resistance, atherosclerotic dyslipidaemia, hypertension and abdominal obesity (1,2) , and is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic disease and a greater incidence of cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and total mortality (3,4) . In developed countries MetS is a common condition, prevalent in about 25 % of the population (5-7) , although it has been reported to be almost as high in certain developing countries as well (8,9) . There is some evidence that MetS has become more prevalent over the last decade (5,10,11) , probably influenced in part by increases in obesity, and this will worsen the public health burden of MetS-related morbidity and mortality. The aetiology of MetS, although not entirely understood, is considered to reside in a complex interaction between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors (12,13) . Understanding what factors are predictive of MetS and how these risk factors ar...

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