Introduction: In 2020, the world population was hit by a global pandemic caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-Cov2), with rapid human-to-human transmission. To limit the spread of the virus and minimize its impact, governments around the world implemented containment measures, leading to many changes in the lifestyle of millions of people. Although children and adolescents were, generally, at low risk of infection...
In order to address the paucity of evidence on the association between childhood eating habits and urbanization, this cross-sectional study describes urban–rural differences in frequency of fruit, vegetable, and soft drink consumption in 123,100 children aged 6–9 years from 19 countries participating in the fourth round (2015-2017) of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). Children's...
In 2015-2017, the fourth round of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was conducted in 36 countries. National representative samples of children aged 6–9 (203,323) were measured by trained staff, with similar equipment and using a standardized protocol. This paper assesses the children's body weight status and compares the burden of childhood overweight,...
Introduction: Parents can act as important agents of change and support for healthy childhood growth and development. Studies have found that parents may not be able to accurately perceive their child’s weight status. The purpose of this study was to measure parental perceptions of their child’s weight status and to identify predictors of potential parental misperceptions. Methods: We used data from the World H...
To meet the need for regular and reliable data on the prevalence of overweight andobesity among children in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) EuropeanChildhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was established in 2007. Theresulting robust surveillance system has improved understanding of the public healthchallenge of childhood overweight and obesity in the WHO European Region. For the past decade...