The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has launched an initiative in order to obtain detailed information on the habits of food consumption in children and adolescents.
The data obtained will be essential for assess nutrient intake, and will also contribute to scientific research on exposure to chemicals through food. I am talking about the national survey that will be completed by another one (for the adult population) conducted by AESAN in 2009 and 2010. It already has a name: it will be called the ENALIA study, and will consist of conducting individual surveys that allow us to know exactly the type of food and the amounts consumed.
Participants (1700 children and adolescents between six months and 17 years of age) will begin to be recruited shortly. In spring the interview phase will begin, the results of which will be known in the second half of next year.
The project will be carried out in accordance with the most recent European quality criteria. Spain has been included in the first group of countries participating in a large European survey called EU Menu. This project, which is in its early stages, aims to collect harmonized information on food consumption in all countries and regions of the European Union
The information obtained will be essential for the orientation of public health policies and promotion of healthy living habits. In addition, when studies are carried out in children of an early age, they help children acquire healthy eating habits as soon as possible.
For the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality It is a priority to promote a varied and healthy diet, as well as the regular practice of physical exercise. To this end, measures such as the Observatory for Nutrition and the Study of Obesity, and the updating of the PAOS advertising corrective code, which includes minors up to 15 years of age and the Internet environment, have also been implemented.
