Four out of ten young Spaniards are exposed from very early stages to cardiovascular risk factors that are potentially modifiable and that will have a negative effect on your health, both short and long term.
The factors I speak of are overweight (suffering from 26% of Spanish children between eight and 17 years old), and obesity (which affects 12.6%). There is a close relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease, for this reason its control and evolution has become a priority aspect to avoid premature deaths and greater morbidity.
The analysis of the sociodemographic variables in this problem reveals that the Overweight and obesity figures are higher in younger children (up to 13 years) than in adolescence. There is a slightly higher prevalence in boys compared to girls. In addition, I have to remember that the Thao Foundation has already told us that this problem can appear even when the children are even younger.
If we compare these results with those of other countries, Professor Sánchez-Cruz (of the Andalusian School of Public Health) points out that, 'in relation to the other European countries, Spain has values of the highest or even similar to those of the United States, paradigm of the global obesity pandemic '.
It is evident that parents play a very important role in the prevention of these diseases, or in their maintenance. And indeed, according to the study that offers the data that I present today, in addition to the awareness and will of the parents, It is observed that the lower the level of studies, the higher the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children.
Although I personally believe that training in health issues can be acquired regardless of the level of education of parents
The Study has been published in the Spanish Journal of Cardiology, and has been carried out by the Andalusian School of Public Health. In the scientific community the hypothesis predominates that this increase is due to the breakdown of the energy balance suffered by people in Western societies.
That is to say: the availability of food has increased, sometimes of worse quality (the highly energetic ones, the so-called “fast food” or “junk food”), and on the other hand, in urban societies the level of physical activity has decreased , both at work and free time and now we are more sedentary. This is what we call energy imbalance.
The solution is to modify current life habits and change the physical and social environment to be conducive to the conduct of healthy behaviors
Apparently, between 2000 and 2012, in Spain estimates of the prevalence of childhood and youth overweight have stabilized, although it is true that values too high. Therefore it is urgent to increase the work of raising awareness, and working to reduce rates.
'It is necessary to design and implement new public health policies that ensure the reduction of this problem, but fortunately modifiable, risk factor and that guarantee the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, especially at school age'.
