Overweight in preschool children: Analysis of a possible intervention

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is increasing progressively in childhood. In response to this trend, several institutions have carried out programs to prevent childhood obesity. Objective: To develop an intervention project aimed at the overweight prevention in 2-3 year-old children at public daycare centers and analyze the feasibility of its implementation. Methods: nine daycare centers were randomly selected probabilistically: four composing the sample object of intervention and five in the group without intervention. There have been comments systematized for the recognition of the routine of feeding and physical activity of daycare centers, from which was outlined and implemented an intervention. It was predefined that the intervention should be simple, of low cost, hardly raising the burden of local labor and result in a participatory process. Results: Food was scheduled by the school lunch company outsourced by the city, which offered oversized portions. Physical activities were restricted and without regular schedule. The nutritional intervention adapted the quantity of food served at lunch, also avoiding the repetition of the meal. For physical activities, it was established that they would be daily, during 30 minutes and of high energy expenditure. All changes were designed and implemented with effective participation of staff in the daycare, in a maximum of 12 weeks. Conclusion: it is possible to develop and deploy a simple intervention, tailored to local realities of daycare centers, aimed at improving the nutritional status of children.