Estrategias innovadoras de educación alimentaria y nutricional para combatir el exceso de peso y la obesidad en niños de edad escolar empleadas en países hispanos: una revisión narrativa

Abstract

School-age children (5-9 years) can benefit from educational interventions focused on healthy eating and physical activity to improve their quality of life. This work aims to review the evidence on food and nutrition education (FNE) in Spanish-speaking countries for the prevention of overweight and obesity in school-age children. There is a wide variety of experiences in FNE in Hispanic countries. The FNE interventions are effective in improving knowledge and attitudes towards healthy eating. Diagnosis, variable selection, and the design and validation of interventions and instruments are crucial. The frequency, duration and number of components of the interventions, as well as the participation of multiple actors such as parents, teachers, professors, and the school community, are key to greater effectiveness. Little impact is observed on nutritional status in educational interventions, which may be due to short execution periods. Food and nutritional surveillance systems in schools should consider cognitive and behavioral indicators to measure the effectiveness of FNE in the fight against overweight and obesity in schools. In conclusion, greater effectiveness of FNE is observed in knowledge and attitudes. Teacher training programs are required to implement innovative long-term FNE strategies in schools to combat obesity and prevent chronic diseases early in life, as well as robust monitoring and evaluation systems.