Impact of an educational intervention in school and mothers for reducing overweight

Abstract

Introduction: Nutrition is one of the principal determinant of health; obesity is the result of an imbalance between intake and energy expenditure. In Mexico (2006), the combined national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 5 to 11 years, was around 26% for both sexes. Objective: To measure the impact of an educational intervention to reduce overweight based on the lifestyles of a population of schoolchildren aged 6 to 11 years old. Methodology: Considering the serious health problem of overweight and obesity in school children is that it is proposed to study quasi-experimental, correlational and comparative longitudinal. Results: The pre-test showed that the level of knowledge of mothers and children, about of nutrition, was at insufficient levels, and lifestyles, were found at optimum level for mothers and children sufficient. No statistically significant differences between experimental and control group. After the intervention there were significant differences between experimental group of mothers by increasing knowledge and attitudes, while the children did not differ significantly by group. Discussion and conclusions: We require complementary efforts to food and nutrition on the incorporation of physical activity and proper dietary habits, recognizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach and active participation in society.