CYPRIOT children have one of the unhealthiest diets in Europe and are the most inactive, new research has shown.
“Cypriot children eat too much fat, too much sugar and too much salt. Their unhealthy diet is compounded by the fact that they do not take enough exercise,” said Dr Michalis Tornaritis, who heads the IDEFICS research study in Cyprus.
“They eat the most salty snacks, such as crisps, and chocolates compared to the other countries in the study. They also spend the least time exercising and have the highest inactivity times.”
Tornaritis was comparing the results of 2,500 Cypriot children aged two to eight with children in the same age groups in Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Sweden. The children were surveyed as part of the five-year European Commission funded Identification and prevention of Dietary and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS (IDEFICS) study launched in September 2006.
The focus of the IDEFICS Study is to explore the risks for overweight and obesity in children as well as associated long-term consequences. The preliminary results were published by the Research and Education Institute of Child Health (REF) last week. REF is the Cyprus research institution participating in the IDEFICS Study.
The results showed that out of the eight countries, Cypriot children ate the least cooked vegetables although they ranked third in their consumption of at least one serving of a fruit a day, after Sweden and Spain.
They also showed that salads were more popular in the diets of children in Sweden, Germany and Estonia than in Cyprus.
Although Cypriot children aged two to eight did not drink too many soft drinks, children in Hungary and Spain drank even fewer.
Cypriot children also ate too many French fries with only children in Hungary and Belgium eating more.
Pizza was another popular food among Cypriot kids with only Italy and Germany ranking higher.
Tornaritis said local children’s dietary habits needed much improvement. He said fewer children aged six to nine had breakfast in the morning in Cyprus compared to the other seven countries and more children in the age group two to nine watched television while eating than in any other country.
The only aspect of the study where Cypriot children fared better than their European counterparts was with regards to their consumption of water. Here the results indicated Cypriot children drank the most H2O, said Tornaritis.
Regarding physical exercise, Cypriot children aged two to nine took the least daily exercise, while on the weekends only Spanish children aged two to six and Italian children aged six to nine took less.
Tornaritis noted the investigation was conducted during the months of October to May when the weather in Cyprus was particularly good for outdoor activities compared to the other seven countries.
“Also Cypriot children are the most inactive during the week,” he added.
The REF head said children should take a minimum of one hour daily exercise, 20 minutes of which was aerobic exercise such as running or swimming.
“Schools only offer two 40-minute periods in the curriculum so it’s up to parents to implement exercise in their children’s lives,” he said.
Tornaritis said children who had physically active parents at the weekends had a healthier Body Mass Index than children whose parents said they spent “boring” weekends.
“We are trying to tell people to get out of the house. Get your kid and go out and exercise,” he said.
As part of efforts to educate parents and children REF had set up a pilot programme at Strovolos Municipality’s open school in the Nicosia district. Every Saturday from 3pm to 5pm children aged two to nine and their parents could go and take part in physical activities run by Physical Education teachers. During the last 20 minutes a guest speaker, including dieticians, psychologists or paediatrics, were invited to give a small speech to help teach parents and children ways of adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Tornaritis said the programme had been extremely popular since its launch last November and had concluded the school year with 75 children participants. He said the programme would restart in September and was open to extending it to other towns, villages and communities. He said anyone interested in introducing the programme in their area could apply to the Education Ministry for a grant.
IDEFICS is a large-scale European study investigating diet, social determinants and lifestyle factors of two to 10-year-olds.
Last month the Agriculture and Education Ministries announced plans to deliver free fruit and vegetables to primary school pupils at the start of the coming school year as part of an EU-wide scheme to tackle childhood obesity and promote healthy eating.
