For both the elderly and the little ones, but especially in them who are forming their healthy lifestyle habits, there is A simple prevention of obesity: drink water.
At the moment, interventions performed with the intention of preventing obesity in childhood and adolescence are having little success, due to various factors.
With regard to drinks, some interventions have been carried out to reduce the consumption of sweet drinks and soft drinks, although it is known that interventions that stimulate doing something (for example, in this case would be drinking water) are more effective than when It emphasizes prohibitions.
In a study conducted by Rebecca Muckelbauer and published in the journal "Pediatrics" a controlled clinical trial is carried out in which two main interventions are carried out: on the one hand there is an educational component and on the other there is a change in the school environment .
- Teachers teach four basic classes on the benefits of drinking water, body needs and the water cycle in nature. Here we have a fundamental educational component that can take effect in school, which should nevertheless extend to the family environment: that parents know these basic notions will help the consumption of water and healthy drinks to be favored at home.
- And the installation of drinking fountains is carried out. It also facilitates access to water during classes through a refillable bottle. These infrastructure and practical issues help to drink good water.
Although the authors of the study report that there was not much variation in the mean values of the body mass index, the prevalence percentage of overweight at the end of the intervention had been maintained, while in the control group it had increased.
According to the authors, this means that those who benefited the most were those schoolchildren whose BMI was close to the limits of obesity risk.
Serve as a stimulus to make interventions at the community level that can be simple, although they require collaboration, not only from the school, but from more than one school. In the hands of families there are issues such as preventing them from drinking too many soft drinks and bringing them closer to healthier drinks, such as natural juices and water.
These conclusions reinforce the idea that changes are "simpler" (what can be done) better than "negative" (what should be avoided) and we are reminded the importance of promoting water as a habitual drink in children (and in all ages).
