The Madrid hospital has organized a new edition of its conference aimed at primary and specialized healthcare professionals to combat a concerning scenario, in which more than 40% of children between 7 and 9 years old are overweight.
Childhood overweight and obesity is a growing problem affecting globally. In this sense, the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital (FJD) has organized its “IV Pediatric Nutrition Update Course” to address this issue as a central theme. The conference, aimed at the primary and specialized healthcare sector, is part of FJD’s efforts related to health prevention and promotion, specifically in its commitment to improving children’s nutrition and training healthcare professionals in the latest trends in this area.
According to a report from the World Health Organization in Europe, over 40% of children between 7 and 9 years old in Spain are overweight and obese. This concerning statistic raises great concern among healthcare professionals who see it as a significant risk that must be mitigated as much as possible.
During the course, Dr. Francisco Javier Mejorado, a specialist in Pediatric Endocrinology at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, explained that childhood overweight is due to several factors, including a diet low in variety with an excess of carbohydrates and fats, insufficient intake of vegetables and fruits, limited physical activity mainly at school, and a progressive increase in screen exposure.
To address this issue, Dr. Leandro Soriano, head of the Pediatrics Department at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, emphasized the importance of “a healthy and balanced diet based on the Mediterranean diet, both at home and at school, along with daily physical exercise.” However, for adolescents over 12 years old who fail to significantly reduce their weight despite following nutritional and sports recommendations, “pharmacological treatment is considered, a recent option in pediatric patients,” Dr. Soriano noted.
Other highlights of the “IV Pediatric Nutrition Update Course”
The conference also addressed premature infant nutrition and other pathologies related to children’s nutrition. Dr. Soriano highlighted the crucial role of nutrition in the first months of life, as appropriate feeding during this critical stage will improve short- and long-term outcomes.
Additionally, the course discussed eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic disease whose dietary treatment, one of the therapeutic options to address it, has become less restrictive in recent years. Some patients have been able to maintain a diet in which only cow’s milk proteins and gluten need to be restricted. Dr. Miriam Blanco, a pediatric specialist in Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, pointed out the notable increase in the diagnosis of non-IgE-mediated cow’s milk protein allergy.
via: MiMub in Spanish
