Sugar consumption in schoolchildren from southern Spain and influence on the prevalence of obesity
Metadatos
Afficher la notice complèteAuteur
Heras González, Leticia; Latorre, José Antonio; Martínez Bebia, Manuel; Giménez Blasi, Nuria; Olea Serrano, FátimaEditorial
Public Library Science
Date
2020-11-20Referencia bibliográfica
Citation: Heras-Gonzalez L, Latorre JA, Martinez- Bebia M, Gimenez-Blasi N, Olea-Serrano F, Mariscal-Arcas M (2020) Sugar consumption in schoolchildren from southern Spain and influence on the prevalence of obesity. PLoS ONE 15(11): e0242602. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0242602]
Patrocinador
Andalusian Regional Government (Nutrition, Diet and Risks Assessment) AGR255; European Union (EU); Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) - FEDER-ISCIII PI14/01040Résumé
Aim
The main cause of childhood overweight/obesity is an imbalance between energy intake
and energy expenditure. The objective was to determine whether the intake by Spanish
schoolchildren of sugars from habitually consumed foods and drinks can be related to overweight/
obesity.
Methods
Subjects The study included 657 schoolchildren between 7–10 years from educational centers
in Southern Spain. These children live under the influence of the Mediterranean diet.
Design Participants completed an encoded questionnaire with three sections: a) data on
sex, age, educational center, school year, and life/family habits, among others; b) semiquantitative
food frequency questionnaire related to the previous 12 months; and c) information
on anthropometrics and physical activities.
Results
Obesity was observed in 10.9% of the children. The daily activity questionnaire showed a
mean energy expenditure of 8.73 (1.33) MJ/day. The study considered foods that supply
carbohydrates in any form (total carbohydrates, starch, total sugars, added sugars, and free
sugars). The likelihood of overweight/obesity was significantly greater with a higher intake/
day of total sugars, starch, added sugars, and free sugars. The likelihood of normal weight
was significantly greater with lower energy expenditure in sedentary activities (OR = 3.03),
higher energy expenditure in sports activities (OR = 1.72), and higher total activity/day measured
as METs (OR = 8.31).
Conclusions
In this population, overweight/obesity was influenced by the physical activity of the children
and by their intake of energy, total sugars, starch, added sugars, and free sugars. Further studies are warranted to verify this observation and explore the implications for public health
policies