Some studies suggest that childhood obesity increases during economic recessions, while others show the opposite. The work that Daniela Rodrigues presented at the 28th Congress of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Obesity (SPEO) had two objectives:
- To analyze the levels of overweight and obesity (OwOb) among Portuguese preschool children in three critical periods: 2009, 2016 and 2024;
- To compare the values according to the highest level of education in the household.
Since 2009 represents the beginning of the economic crisis, 2016 the end of the aforementioned crisis (post-Troika) and 2024 is a post-COVID-19 pandemic, the work shows that the levels of overweight and obesity did not increase after the periods of macroeconomic crisis. However, and despite efforts to curb it, overweight is still a significant problem in Portuguese children (~15%).
The work, co-authored by Milena Moraes, Gabriela Costa, Aristides M. Machado-Rodrigues and Cristina Padez, received the Award for Best Communication in Psychology. The event took place in Lisbon on 22 and 23 November 2024.
