Publication
WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: School nutrition environment and body mass index in primary schools
| dc.contributor.author | Wijnhoven, T.A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | van Raaij, J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Sjöberg, A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Eldin, N. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Yngve, A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kunešová, M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Starc, G. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Rito, A.I. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Duleva, V. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hassapidou, M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Martos, E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Pudule, I. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Petrauskiene, A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Sant’Angelo, V.F. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hovengen, R. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Breda, J. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-02-05T17:02:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-02-05T17:02:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-10-30 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Schools are important settings for the promotion of a healthy diet and sufficient physical activity and thus overweight prevention. Objective: To assess differences in school nutrition environment and body mass index (BMI) in primary schools between and within 12 European countries. Methods: Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) were used (1831 and 2045 schools in 2007/2008 and 2009/2010, respectively). School personnel provided information on 18 school environmental characteristics on nutrition and physical activity. A school nutrition environment score was calculated using five nutrition-related characteristics whereby higher scores correspond to higher support for a healthy school nutrition environment. Trained field workers measured children’s weight and height; BMI-for-age (BMI/A) Z-scores were computed using the 2007 WHO growth reference and, for each school, the mean of the children’s BMI/A Z-scores was calculated. Results: Large between-country differences were found in the availability of food items on the premises (e.g., fresh fruit could be obtained in 12%95% of schools) and school nutrition environment scores (range: 0.300.93). Low-score countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania) graded less than three characteristics as supportive. High-score (≥0.70) countries were Ireland, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. The combined absence of cold drinks containing sugar, sweet snacks and salted snacks were more observed in high-score countries than in low-score countries. Largest within-country school nutrition environment scores were found in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania. All country-level BMI/A Z-scores were positive (range: 0.201.02), indicating higher BMI values than the 2007 WHO growth reference. With the exception of Norway and Sweden, a country-specific association between the school nutrition environment score and the school BMI/A Z-score was not observed. Conclusions: Some European countries have implemented more school policies that are supportive to a healthy nutrition environment than others. However, most countries with low school nutrition environment scores also host schools with supportive school environment policies, suggesting that a uniform school policy to tackle the “unhealthy” school nutrition environment has not been implemented at the same level throughout a country and may underline the need for harmonized school policies. | por |
| dc.identifier.citation | Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014 Oct 30;11(11):11261-85. doi: 10.3390/ijerph111111261 | por |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.3390/ijerph111111261 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1660-4601 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/2799 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | por |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | por |
| dc.publisher | MDPI | por |
| dc.relation | WHO Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative | por |
| dc.relation.publisherversion | http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11261 | por |
| dc.subject | School Policy | por |
| dc.subject | Monitoring | por |
| dc.subject | Healthy School Environment | por |
| dc.subject | Nutrition | por |
| dc.subject | Physical Activity | por |
| dc.subject | Overweight | por |
| dc.subject | Primary Schools | por |
| dc.subject | Europe | por |
| dc.subject | Estilos de Vida e Impacto na Saúde | por |
| dc.title | WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: School nutrition environment and body mass index in primary schools | por |
| dc.type | journal article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.endPage | 11285 | por |
| oaire.citation.startPage | 11261 | por |
| oaire.citation.title | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | por |
| oaire.citation.volume | 11(11) | por |
| rcaap.rights | openAccess | por |
| rcaap.type | article | por |