Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Portugal: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Frade, Fátima; Carteiro, Dora; Pereira, Fátima Luciana; Marques, Joana Mendes; Frade, João

doi:10.1159/000511792

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Importantly, as is the case in other Western industrialized societies, Portugal is a highly meat-centric country (Brittin, 2011) and children tend to eat more than the formally recommended levels of animal protein in their diets (Durão et al, 2017). The high consumption of animal products, together with an excessive intake of sugar, are linked to strikingly high levels of child obesity in the country (Durão et al, 2017;Frade et al, 2020). This is also reflected in the typical offer provided in the school meals system, in which the standard practice is to rotate between meat and fish meals every day of the week with little room for plant-based meals.…”

Section: Sustainable Food Transitions In Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enabling sustainable food transitions in schools: a systemic approach

Graça

Roque

Guedes

et al. 2022

BFJ

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PurposeRecent reviews and reports have highlighted the need for integrated, context-specific efforts to enable sustainable food transitions. This study aimed to identify pathways to promote healthier and more environmentally friendly food practices in school contexts, with a focus on increased plant-based eating.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a systemic approach with data collected from relevant stakeholders in an EU country (Portugal) at diverse levels of influence in the school meals system (i.e. proximal, intermediate, distal; from end-consumers to food providers, market actors, civil society organizations, and policy and decision-makers). Data from individual interviews (N = 33) were subjected to thematic analysis.FindingsMeat-centric cultural perceptions of a ‘proper meal’ can be a socio-emotional barrier for sustainable food transitions in schools. Main pathways identified to unlock these transitions included: (1) Levering orientations toward ethical and environmentally beneficial consumption; (2) Improving and increasing the offer of plant-based meals; and (3) Mobilizing local communities and society.Originality/valueThe current findings suggest that promoting healthier and more environmentally friendly food practices in schools requires systemic, integrated approaches which focus on food consumption, food provision, and the broader political and sociocultural environment.

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Section: Sustainable Food Transitions In Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high consumption of animal products, together with an excessive intake of sugar, are linked to strikingly high levels of child obesity in the country (Durão et al. , 2017; Frade et al. , 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enabling sustainable food transitions in schools: a systemic approach

Graça

Roque

Guedes

et al. 2022

BFJ

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“…Similarly, in China, in 2020, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 19% for children aged 6-17 [4] and, in Europe, in 2018, 19% 15-years-old was either overweight or obese [5]. The data available in Portugal are different, with a prevalence of overweight (including obesity) between 20 to 40% [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Extrinsic Motivators to Improve the Body Mass Index of Obese or Overweight Adolescents: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

Gonçalves,

Simões,

Sousa-Pinto

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BACKGROUND The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in children and adolescents worldwide. Given the dimension of the problem, treatments of childhood obesity are recognized as of extreme importance. Current evidence indicates that behavioural and cognitive behavioural strategies combined with diet and physical activity approaches may assist in reducing adolescent obesity. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the use of extrinsic motivators in improving the BMI of obese or overweight adolescents. METHODS The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) overweight or obese adolescents, 2) intervention using extrinsic motivators, 3) outcome variables related to weight status. The exclusion criteria were associated chronic disease. The search process was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science (last searched on 23/04/2023). The risk of bias was evaluated independently by two authors with the Cochrane’s tools: RoB2 (RCT), ROBINS-I and ROBINS-E. RESULTS From 3,163 studies identified, 20 articles (corresponding to 18 studies) were included in the analysis. The studies differ in study design, sample size, follow-up duration, outcomes reported, and extrinsic motivators used. Most of the studies had videogames or apps as intervention. Nine studies (50%) showed a statistically significant decrease of BMI. The most used extrinsic motivators were “Motivation” (n=13), “Feedback” (n=10) and “Rewards” (n=9), and the ones that seem to have a higher impact on decreasing BMI are “Reminders” (100%) and “Peer-support” (80%). CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity of studies makes analysis difficult. No study has evaluated the extrinsic motivators in isolation. Most of the studies have a moderate or high risk of bias. The extrinsic motivators that seem to be more useful are “Reminders” and “Peer-support”, but more studies are needed, namely well designed RCTs, homogeneity in BMI measure and extrinsic motivators definitions, and longer duration to better understand long-term impact of extrinsic motivators on weight management success.

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“…Childhood obesity has increased in the last 40 years, making it one of the major problems and challenges for public health in advanced societies [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Focusing on Portuguese population, previous studies showed that the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents ranges between 20% and 40%, and obesity between 10% and 15% [ 4 ]. Likewise, the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) report for Portugal in 2019 showed a reverse trend in the prevalence of overweight (from 37.9% to 29.6%) and obesity (from 15.3% to 12.0%) in children aged 6 to 8 years-old [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a Physical Literacy Breaks (PLBreaks) Program on Physical Literacy and Body Composition in Portuguese Schoolchildren: A Study Protocol

Mendoza-Muñoz

Carlos‐Vivas

Villafaina

et al. 2022

Biology

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(1) Background: Several studies have shown that active breaks have led to different improvements in their participants. However, no studies have assessed how they affect physical literacy (PL). (2) Aims: Therefore, this study will examine the effect of the PLBreaks programme on school children’s PL and body composition. (3) Methods: A parallel-group randomised controlled trial will be conducted with assessments of PL (Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy Development) and body composition (height, bodyweight, fat mass and fat-free mass) before and after an active breaks programme. PLBreak programme will run for 3 months and will be carried out 3 days a week for 20 min each day. The PLBreaks programme will consist of two blocks of 10 min of different physical activities (PA). The first block will be focused on the acquisition of knowledge and healthy life habits that will contribute to the development of the domains of knowledge and understanding and daily activity. The second block will be focused on physical competence and motivation throughout games. (4) Conclusions: The present study will investigate the efficacy of PLBreaks in schoolchildren in improving their PL and body composition. If the efficacy of the program is demonstrated, including the programme in public education programmes can be possible. This could be a scientific breakthrough in terms of health-related PA improvement and adherence, as well as the prevention of diseases associated with inactivity.

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Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Portugal: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

Enabling sustainable food transitions in schools: a systemic approach

Enabling sustainable food transitions in schools: a systemic approach

Use of Extrinsic Motivators to Improve the Body Mass Index of Obese or Overweight Adolescents: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

Effects of a Physical Literacy Breaks (PLBreaks) Program on Physical Literacy and Body Composition in Portuguese Schoolchildren: A Study Protocol

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