The diet of Canarian children
Canary Islands It is the place with highest rate of morbid obesity in Europe, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Recent studies have revealed that a 44,2% of Canarian children suffer from overweight. The average with respect to Spain is in an 26%. According to a report prepared by The Economist, together with Spanish experts, the percentage of obese people in the two sexes has grown by 22% in the last decade in the archipelago. The report reveals a very critical fact, and that is that a person is up to seven times more likely to die of diabetes in Canary Islands than in Madrid.
In Canary Islandswe have an average of 385 deaths per year (more than one dead a day) due to this disease between 1981 and 2011, according to a study called DARIOS endorsed by the International Diabetes Federation.
A person is up to seven times more likely to die of diabetes in Canary Islands than in Madrid
La obesity, at the end of the day it is not an aesthetic problem, but a real risk that entails more than 200 diseases as osteoarthritis, mortality and cerebrovascular morbidity as well as cardiovascular diseases. Obesity is the number one cause of development of diabetes type 2, is a cause of cognitive deterioration and an important reason for the occurrence of Alzheimer's. In this sense, the latest research carried out in this field reveals that the obesity By herself It helps the development of up to 11 cancers.
En Canary Islands the critical age is among the 12 and 13 years, which is when serious health problems begin to be observed. It's almost always about bad habits inherited from their families, such as sedentary lifestyle and bad nutrition. The sociocultural level in families influences a lot. In Canary Islandswe have one of the lowest educational indexes in the country. This happens in other communities, but in the Canaries the causes of obesity are more widespread. The difference may lie in the influence of tourism and the lack of application of the Mediterranean diet. Our islands that live on tourism, especially English and British. Tourists who have very different habits of our diet, with less consumption of olive oil, vegetables and fruits. In addition to the spread of fast food consumption. Another curious fact that we have in the islands is that we have the most expensive shopping basket in Spain. This fact, together with the socioeconomic level, favor the consumption of processed foods.
Nutrition in schools
En Canary Islands, the 22,8% of children between 3 and 14 years they attend the school canteen. The schools must be allies of the families in the construction of the habits of feeding and healthy life of the smallest. Taste greatly influences the construction of good habits. Eating fruit with good taste helps children get into the habit of including them in their day to day. The 82% of Canarian parents say they are willing to pay a little more for the school menu on the condition that their children eat fruits with better taste and quality at school.
The schools must be allies of the families in the construction of the habits of feeding and healthy life of the smallest
It should be noted that, in general, the parents of Canarian children who attend the cafeteria claim to be satisfied with the food given to the children at school.
But while in the education sector, awareness and implementation of healthy habits, there is still a lot of work to do at home. Choosing the healthiest and introducing changes is always easier if it is done in common. Therefore, create family habits of eating Adequate physical activity makes it easier for everyone to maintain a healthy weight. Thus, planning moments of the day that include some physical activity in the family means that everyone has the support and motivation to create sports routines. Or, adding more fruits to meals between meals can change the habits of family members.
