Results of the eating habits program for children from 3 to 12 years based on nutriplato®

Abstract

Introduction: Poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity are associated with non-communicable diseases. A healthy diet during childhood is important for the prevention of these diseases in the short and long term. Objectives: Improve eating habits, promote the Mediterranean diet (MD) and prevent and/or reverse overweight and obesity in children aged 3 to 12 years. Methods: The program includes 3 to 5 visits with dietitian-nutritionists, 1 telephone control and 1 practical workshop, with a follow-up of 1 year. Anthropometric, body composition and eating habits data are collected, and nutritional education is provided. Results: The program included 1018 participants (51.5% boys; median age 8.5 ± 2.7 years). At baseline, 31% were overweight or obese and 33.9% had optimal MD. 696 participants completed the 12-month follow-up, and an increase in the percentage of participants following optimal MD was observed (38.1% vs. 53.4%; p < 0.001). Statistically significant improvements were also observed in relation to the consumption of fruits (except for 3 servings/day), vegetables, legumes, nuts and wholegrains cereals. In participants who were overweight or obese, a slight decrease in the mean BMI z-score was observed at the 12-month follow-up (p = 0.039). Conclusions: The results highlight the need for nutritional education in children and show that the Nutriplato® Program is effective in improving eating habits.