The country’s schoolchildren are overweight

In the Dominican Republic, 31% of schoolchildren are overweight or obese, 45% of them have poor diets, and they engage in very little physical activity. The information was included in the study’s findings that were yesterday made public in the Dominican Republic by the Ministry of Public Health and the Student Welfare Institute of the Ministry of Education. The study was titled “Nutritional Status of Schoolchildren Beneficiaries of the School Feeding Program in the Dominican Republic 2021-2022.” (INABIE).

The first lady, Raquel Arbaje, and the current secretaries of health and education, Daniel Rivera and Angel Hernández, respectively, led the activity, which was part of the celebration of World Food Day. Only 6.9% of schoolchildren engage in physical activity at the levels advised by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is an average of 60 minutes per day, and 10% regularly eat vegetables, according to the investigation’s key findings, which were presented by Dr. Nelson Martinez, who is in charge of public health investigations.

Only 20% of schoolchildren eat vegetables daily, which is the recommended amount, while 70% consume more sausages, soft drinks, and sweets than is healthy. A total of 31% of the participants in the study had conditions that increased their risk of adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other diseases: 3% were underweight, 18% were overweight, and 13% were obese. 55% of the sample’s respondents were female, 57.6% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years, 64.6% were in primary school, and 43.1% were from the Eastern part of the nation. The three most common comorbidities they experience are asthma (10%), anemia (4.5%), and falcemia (2.5%).

82% of those surveyed said they ate school lunches, and 17% said they brought snacks. It was found that 26% of their immediate family members, including their parents and siblings, have hypertension, 16% have diabetes, and 7% have heart issues.