Impact of education on food behaviour, body composition and physical fitness in children

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of obesity during growth and development is significantly related to the education of children, and also to that of parents who influence food intake and physical activity from the beginning of life. The effect of maternal level of education has been shown in regular anthropometric surveys in 10-year intervals since 1951. This concerns the mother's own nutrition and physical activity regimen as well as the child's nutrition since birth, including the duration of breast-feeding. Children of parents with overweight and obesity were shown more often to be obese, as was the case for children from families with the lowest level of education, or from smaller communities where the level of education is usually lower than in larger cities. The composition of the mother's diet during pregnancy had, for example, an effect on the blood lipids of newborns. During preschool age, less body fat, a higher level of HDL, and higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, skill and physical performance were found in active children. In school-age children, when obesity increases, a number of prevention programmes using diet, exercise and behavioural intervention have been developed for schools, communities, churches, and/or have been organized by special institutions and medical centres, which were most efficient in family groups. The greatest reduction of weight, BMI and fatness, and improvement of functional capacity, and hormonal and metabolic parameters were achieved in summer camps or spas, with consistent and monitored nutrition, exercise and behavioural treatment. Fluctuation of positive outcomes occurred due to the interruption of the educational process during the school year, and repeated long-lasting interventions have been always necessary for permanent desirable results.