3 research outputs found
Socioeconomic differences in food habits among 6- to 9-year-old children from 23 countries-WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI 2015/2017)
Background: Socioeconomic differences in children's food habits are a key public health concern. In order to inform policy makers, cross-country surveillance studies of dietary patterns across socioeconomic groups are required. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and children's food habits.
Methods: The study was based on nationally representative data from children aged 6-9 years (n = 129,164) in 23 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. Multivariate multilevel analyses were used to explore associations between children's food habits (consumption of fruit, vegetables, and sugar-containing soft drinks) and parental education, perceived family wealth and parental employment status.
Results: Overall, the present study suggests that unhealthy food habits are associated with lower SES, particularly as assessed by parental education and family perceived wealth, but not parental employment status. We found cross-national and regional variation in associations between SES and food habits and differences in the extent to which the respective indicators of SES were related to children's diet.
Conclusion: Socioeconomic differences in children's food habits exist in the majority of European and Asian countries examined in this study. The results are of relevance when addressing strategies, policy actions, and interventions targeting social inequalities in children's diets.The authors gratefully acknowledge support from a grant from the
Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for
the Prevention and Control of NCDs.
Data collection in the countries was made possible through
funding from Albania: WHO through the Joint Programme on
Children, Food Security and Nutrition “Reducing Malnutrition in
Children,” funded by the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund, and the Institute of Public Health; Bulgaria: Ministry of
Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, WHO
Regional Office for Europe; Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian
Institute of Public Health and WHO Regional Office for Europe;
Czechia: Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grant nr. AZV
MZČR 17-31670 A and MZČ–VO EÚ 00023761; Denmark: Danish
Ministry of Health; Georgia: WHO; Ireland: Health Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health and Italian National Institute of Health;
Kazakhstan: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and
WHO Country Office; Kyrgyzstan: World Health Organization;
Latvia: Ministry of Health, Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control; Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of
Health Sciences and Lithuanian Science Council and WHO; Malta:
Ministry of Health; Montenegro: WHO and Institute of Public
Health of Montenegro; Norway: Ministry of Health and Norwegian
Institute of Public Health; Poland: National Health Programme, Ministry of Health; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the
National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health, Regional
Health Directorates and the kind technical support from the
Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health
(CEIDSS); Romania: Ministry of Health; Russian Federation: WHO;
San Marino: Health Ministry, Educational Ministry; Serbia: This
study was supported by the World Health Organization (Ref. File
2015-540940); Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition
(AESAN); Tajikistan: WHO Country Office in Tajikistan and Ministry of Health and Social Protection; Turkmenistan: WHO Country
Office in Turkmenistan and Ministry of Health; Turkey: Turkish Ministry of Health and World Bank.
The CO-CREATE project has received funding from the European
Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant
agreement No. 774210.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Thinness, overweight, and obesity in 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children from 36 countries: The World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative - COSI 2015-2017
In 2015-2017, the fourth round of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was conducted in 36 countries. National representative samples of children aged 6–9 (203,323) were measured by trained staff, with similar equipment and using a standardized protocol. This paper assesses the children's body weight status and compares the burden of childhood overweight, obesity, and thinness in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Europe and Central Asia. The results show great geographic variability in height, weight, and body mass index. On average, the children of Northern Europe were the tallest, those of Southern Europe the heaviest, and the children living in Central Asia the lightest and the shortest. Overall, 28.7% of boys and 26.5% of girls were overweight (including obesity) and 2.5% and 1.9%, respectively, were thin according to the WHO definitions. The prevalence of obesity varied from 1.8% of boys and 1.1% of girls in Tajikistan to 21.5% and 19.2%, respectively, in Cyprus, and tended to be higher for boys than for girls. Levels of thinness, stunting, and underweight were relatively low, except in Eastern Europe (for thinness) and in Central Asia. Despite the efforts to halt it, unhealthy weight status is still an important problem in the WHO European Region.The authors gratefully acknowledge support from a grant from the
Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for
the Prevention and Control of NCDs. Data collection in the countries
was made possible through funding from the following: Albania:
WHO through the Joint Programme on Children, Food Security and
Nutrition “Reducing Malnutrition in Children,” funded by the
Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund, and the Institute
of Public Health; Austria: Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health,
Care and Consumer Protection, Republic of Austria; Bulgaria: Ministry
of Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, WHO
Regional Office for Europe; Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian Institute of Public Health and WHO Regional Office for Europe; Czechia:
Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grants AZV MZČR
17-31670 A and MZČR – RVO EÚ 00023761; Cyprus: not available;
Denmark: Danish Ministry of Health; Estonia: Ministry of Social
Affairs, Ministry of Education and Research (IUT 42-2), WHO Country
Office, and National Institute for Health Development; Finland: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare; France: Santé publique France,
the French Agency for Public Health; Georgia: WHO; Greece: International Hellenic University and Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity; Hungary: WHO Country Office for Hungary; Ireland: Health
Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health and Italian National Institute of Health; Kazakhstan: Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Kazakhstan and WHO Country Office; Kyrgyzstan: World Health
Organization; Latvia: Ministry of Health, Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and Lithuanian Science Council and WHO;
Malta: Ministry of Health; Montenegro: WHO and Institute of Public
Health of Montenegro; North Macedonia: funded by the Government
of North Macedonia through National Annual Program of Public
Health and implemented by the Institute of Public Health and Centers
of Public Health in the country. WHO country office provided support
for training and data management; Norway: Ministry of Health and
Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Poland: National Health Programme, Ministry of Health; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions,
the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health,
Regional Health Directorates and the kind technical support from the
Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health
(CEIDSS); Romania: Ministry of Health; Russian Federation: WHO;
San Marino: Health Ministry, Educational Ministry, Social Security
Institute and Health Authority; Serbia: World Health Organization
(Ref. File 2015-540940); Slovakia: Biennial Collaborative Agreement
between WHO Regional Office for Europe and Ministry of Health SR;
Slovenia: Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of
Slovenia within the SLOfit surveillance system; Spain: Spanish Agency
for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN); Sweden: Public Health
Agency of Sweden; Tajikistan: WHO Country Office in Tajikistan and
Ministry of Health and Social Protection; Turkmenistan: WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan and Ministry of Health; Turkey: Turkish Ministry of Health and World Bank.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio