Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec 12;9(12):1947.
doi: 10.3390/children9121947.

Lifestyle Risk Factors for Overweight/Obesity in Spanish Children

María L Miguel-Berges  1   2   3   4 , Pilar De Miguel-Etayo  1   2   3   4 , Alicia Larruy-García  1   2   3 , Andrea Jimeno-Martinez  1   2   3 , Carmen Pellicer  5 , Luis Moreno Aznar  1   2   3   4
Affiliations

Lifestyle Risk Factors for Overweight/Obesity in Spanish Children

María L Miguel-Berges et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Childhood obesity is one of the main public health concerns in Europe. The aim was to identify possible risk factors associated with overweight/obesity in Spanish preschool and school-age children. The sample (1075 (50.7% girls) children aged 3 to 12) is part of the project 'Alimentando el Cambio' whose objective is to promote healthy lifestyles in schools. Child height and weight were measured, and parents filled out questionnaires related to the children's lifestyle. There was a positive and significant association between sweetened beverage consumption and body mass index (BMI) z-score in both sexes and age groups. There was a negative and significant association between BMI z-score and dairy products in girls of both age groups. There was also a protective effect of regular nut consumption on overweight/obesity in girls 6-12 y. Night-time sleep during weekdays showed a negative association with BMI z-score for older boys and girls. A positive and significant association was found between total screen time and BMI z-score during weekdays. Regarding emotional well-being and self-esteem, having girls 6-12 y laughing and feeling happy and good about themselves in the last week was a protective factor against overweight/obesity. Childhood obesity prevention efforts may benefit from targeting these key risk factors.

Keywords: childhood obesity; healthy lifestyles; risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the participants involved in this study from ‘Alimentando el cambio’.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. García-Solano M., Gutiérrez-González E., López-Sobaler A., Ruiz-Álvarez M., Bermejo López L., Aparicio A., García-López M.A., Yusta-Boyo M.J., de Dios T.R., Villalba C.V., et al. Weight status in the 6- to 9-year-old school population in Spain: Results of the ALADINO 2019 Study. Nutr. Hosp. 2021;38:943–953. doi: 10.20960/nh.03618. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gordon-Larsen P., The N.S., Adair L.S. Longitudinal Trends in Obesity in the United States From Adolescence to the Third Decade of Life. Obesity. 2010;18:1801–1804. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.451. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith J.D., Fu E., Kobayashi M.A. Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity and Its Psychological and Health Comorbidities. Annu. Rev. Clin. Psychol. 2020;16:351–378. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-100219-060201. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Franks P.W., Hanson R.L., Knowler W.C., Sievers M.L., Bennett P.H., Looker H.C. Childhood Obesity, Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Premature Death. N. Engl. J. Med. 2010;362:485–493. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0904130. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Horesh A., Tsur A.M., Bardugo A., Twig G. Adolescent and Childhood Obesity and Excess Morbidity and Mortality in Young Adulthood—A Systematic Review. Curr. Obes. Rep. 2021;10:301–310. doi: 10.1007/s13679-021-00439-9. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources