Portal de Murcia
www.portaldemurcia.com
The PASOS study, an initiative of the institution of the brothers Pau and Marc Gasol that will be presented in the fall, will gather information on children's living habits between the ages of 8 and 16 and then adopt measures that help prevent and cope with overweight and childhood obesity
"At European level we are one of the countries with more overweight and childhood obesity, reaching levels very similar to those in the United States," says Pedro Emilio Alcaraz, director of the Center for Research on High Performance Sports at UCAM, which has coordinated the project in the provinces of Murcia, Alicante and Albacete in the study on childhood obesity (STEPS) led by the Gasol Foundation, sponsored by the brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, NBA players and the Spanish Basketball Team.
Both the Catholic University of Murcia and the foundation want to combat childhood obesity by studying the levels of sedentary lifestyle and obesity of children between eight and sixteen.
"We think that this project will be a national and even international reference in the coming years, since an exact photograph of the habits and lifestyles of this Spanish population is being made with a very representative sample of it (more than 4000 participants) ", comments Pedro Emilio Alcaraz.
The peculiarities of this study are, in addition to a body analysis, the measurement of the quality of sleep, the child's environment or the family climate.
On the other hand, the level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle is being analyzed.
These characteristics will help the project researchers to make an exhaustive description of what happens in Spain with childhood obesity, in order to present the data to government officials and, in this way, take objective measures based on scientific evidence reducing the levels in our girls and boys.
"We are very happy to participate in this project led by the Gasol Foundation because we think that overweight and childhood obesity is a problem that we must tackle as soon as possible in our society. The Gasol brothers, after consulting with the best world experts, have decided to focus all the efforts of its foundation around this theme due to the magnitude of the problem it poses in children in the long term, "says researcher Pedro Emilio Alcaraz.
It should be noted that one of the main consequences of childhood obesity is that the chances of developing a series of health problems in adulthood are increased.
Among them:
Heart disease;
Insulin resistance (often an early sign of imminent diabetes);
Osteomuscular disorders (especially osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that affects the joints);
Some types of cancer (endometrium, breast and colon);
Disability.
Source: UCAM
Privacy policy
- Legal notice
- Cookies