Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/59291
Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorWijnhoven, Trudy M. A.-
dc.contributor.authorVan Raaij, Joop M. A.-
dc.contributor.authorSjöberg, Agneta-
dc.contributor.authorEldin, Nazih-
dc.contributor.authorYngve, Agneta-
dc.contributor.authorKunešová, Marie-
dc.contributor.authorStarc, Gregor-
dc.contributor.authorRito, Ana I.-
dc.contributor.authorDuleva, Vesselka-
dc.contributor.authorHassapidou, Maria-
dc.contributor.authorMartos, Éva-
dc.contributor.authorPudule, Iveta-
dc.contributor.authorPetrauskiene, Ausra-
dc.contributor.authorFarrugia Sant’Angelo, Victoria-
dc.contributor.authorHovengen, Ragnhild-
dc.contributor.authorBreda, João-
dc.date.accessioned2020-08-04T05:40:26Z-
dc.date.available2020-08-04T05:40:26Z-
dc.date.issued2014-
dc.identifier.citationWijnhoven, T., Van Raaij, J., Sjöberg, A., Eldin, N., Yngve, A., Kunešová, M., ... & Martos, É. (2014). WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: school nutrition environment and body mass index in primary schools. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(11), 11261-11285.en_GB
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/59291-
dc.description.abstractBackground: Schools are important settings for the promotion of a healthy diet and sufficient physical activity and thus overweight prevention. Objective: To assess differences in school nutrition environment and body mass index (BMI) in primary schools between and within 12 European countries. Methods: Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) were used (1831 and 2045 schools in 2007/2008 and 2009/2010, respectively). School personnel provided information on 18 school environmental characteristics on nutrition and physical ctivity. A school nutrition environment score was calculated using five nutrition-related characteristics whereby higher scores correspond to higher support for a healthy school nutrition environment. Trained field workers measured children’s weight and height; BMI-for-age (BMI/A) Z-scores were computed using the 2007 WHO growth reference and, for each school, the mean of the children’s BMI/A Z-scores was calculated. Results: Large between-country differences were found in the availability of food items on the premises (e.g., fresh fruit could be obtained in 12%95% of schools) and school nutrition environment scores (range: 0.300.93). Low-score countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania) graded less than three characteristics as supportive. High-score (≥0.70) countries were Ireland, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. The combined absence of cold drinks containing sugar, sweet snacks and salted snacks were more observed in high-score countries than in low-score countries. Largest within-country school nutrition environment scores were found in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania. All country-level BMI/A Z-scores were positive (range: 0.201.02), indicating higher BMI values than the 2007 WHO growth reference. With the exception of Norway and Sweden, a country-specific association between the school nutrition environment score and the school BMI/A Z-score was not observed. Conclusions: Some European countries have implemented more school policies that are supportive to a healthy nutrition environment than others. However, most countries with low school nutrition environment scores also host schools with supportive school environment policies, suggesting that a uniform school policy to tackle the “unhealthy” school nutrition environment has not been implemented at the same level throughout a country and may underline the need for harmonized school policies.en_GB
dc.language.isoenen_GB
dc.publisherMDPI AGen_GB
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessen_GB
dc.subjectSchool environmenten_GB
dc.subjectNutrition -- Europeen_GB
dc.subjectObesity -- Europeen_GB
dc.subjectExercise -- Health aspectsen_GB
dc.subjectObesity in children -- Europeen_GB
dc.titleWHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative : school nutrition environment and body mass index in primary schoolsen_GB
dc.typearticleen_GB
dc.rights.holderThe copyright of this work belongs to the author(s)/publisher. The rights of this work are as defined by the appropriate Copyright Legislation or as modified by any successive legislation. Users may access this work and can make use of the information contained in accordance with the Copyright Legislation provided that the author must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the prior permission of the copyright holderen_GB
dc.description.reviewedpeer-revieweden_GB
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ijerph111111261-
dc.publication.titleInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Healthen_GB
Appears in Collections:Scholarly Works - ERCMedGen

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
WHO_european_childhood_obesity_surveillance_initiative.pdf513.42 kBAdobe PDFView/Open


Items in OAR@UM are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.