We are concerned about the health of our children at a time when obesity has become a worldwide problem. Eating well and leading an active life is the perfect combination to stay at the right weight, but according to one study calories are less important than sedentary lifestyle for childhood obesity.
That is, a child may eat more calories but if he exercises more than another who eats less, he has less risk of obesity. Of course, it must be borne in mind that calories derived from poor quality fats, refined flours and simple sugars are not the same as healthier ones.
According the "Cuenca Study", carried out by the Center for Social and Health Studies of the University of Castilla-La Mancha controlling the evolution of cardiovascular risk factors in schoolchildren since 1992, the children who eat the most are precisely the thinnest, up to 200 calories more daily on average than overweight children.
And is that the performance of exercise could influence the expression of genes related to obesity and energy expenditure seek a decrease in fat. In short, it would be the energy imbalance due to an excess of sedentary behaviors which would favor childhood obesity.
Another interesting fact that emerges from the study is that, with the crisis, the frequency of children with low weight has doubled to reach 20.5% of the child population, while that of overweight and obesity has fallen to 20, 4% (it was close to 35% in measurements before 2008).
The height of the children, on the other hand, has also been affected by the crisis: among children four to six years old in 2013 (born in 2007-2008) there is up to almost five centimeters of difference in their height depending on the socioeconomic status of their families is high or low.
In conclusion we will point out that, given the importance of sedentary lifestyle for the increase in childhood obesity, based on the results of the "Cuenca Study", a program of physical activity has been carried out in schoolchildren ("MOVI", which we will talk about soon). The goal is to reduce sedentary lifestyle among children to improve their physical condition and even their academic performance.
