Abstract

MARTIN, Adela et al. Equity and nutritional inequality in two school centers in Madrid (Spain). Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2014, vol.29, n.1, pp.128-135. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2014.29.1.6778.

Introduction: Health inequality is the difference in incidence, prevalence, mortality, volume of diseases and other adverse sanitary conditions that exist between groups of specific populations. Objectives: To analyze the possible nutritional inequalities between two educational centers of Madrid to promote healthy habits, to anticipate the obesity and the diseases associated in the children population. Methods: Observational and transverse study on a sample of 118 students (14 years old/3^oESO) of two educational centers of different socioeconomic level. They underwent a survey on lifestyle, anthropometric examinations and measurement of blood pressure and physical activity. Results: In both centers normal weight prevails in both sexes without differences as for the percentage of pupils that are overweight. Major obesity is registered in the public school more than in the private school. The correlation stands out between the percentiles body mass index (BMI) and the blood pressure (BP) (to major BMI, major B.P). The food pattern is similarly independent from the socioeconomic stratum. The fifth part of the pupils (principally women) does not practice any type of physical activity in their free time and they dedicate almost 2 daily hours to sedentary activities. Conclusions: As a whole, the two educational centers are in the average weight range, even though a tendency has been found in the public school that there is double the rate of obesity. These results can be attributed to the small sample size or that the sociocultural inequality to nutritional level is not so accentuated in the city of Madrid. Prevention and promotion of healthy habits is the way of combating against overweight, juvenile obesity, cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases in the adult age.

Keywords : Nutritional equality; Teenagers; School; Physical activity; Obesity.

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