Il modello del counseling nutrizionale nella gestione del paziente pediatrico in sovrappeso

As assessed by the recent data published by the Observatory “Okkio alla Salute” [1-2], the overweight and the obesity are increasingly common in childhood; in Italy, the 23% of kids of 8/9 years are overweighed and the 9% of them are obese. The diet therapy for the pediatric patient is increasingly necessary at local, outpatient and hospital level. The diet therapy and nutritional programmes, however, present some specific issues and complexities, from different points of view (biological and technical, behavioural and communication one). In this Paper, the Authors propose and analyse the approach to the child and its family context based on the Nutritional Counselling model. The Paper illustrates the theoretic principles and applicative practices of an approach based on a systemic view of the nutrition behaviour.

Impact of Nutrition and Physical Activity on Behaviour and Academic Achievements in Pupils

Nutrition is the main component of children’s health. In order to be completely healthy children need good nutrition and substantial physical activity [1]. Nutritional habits acquired in childhood and adolescence are maintained during adulthood. Scientists emphasize breakfast eating because breakfast ensures attention-concentration, memory and school achievements during morning sessions [2]. Eating breakfast provides energy for the brain and improves learning. Poor nutrition is associated with poor academic achievements. Under-nutrition has negative effect on pupils’ behaviour, attendance of lessons and even behaviour in adulthood [3]. Nutrition of pupils should be well-balanced and variable, offering more fresh fruit, whole grains and a greater variety of vegetables [4]. It is recommended to reduce levels of fat and sodium and increase fiber [5], and in the first part of day to drink more fresh water in order to improve attention and behaviour [2]. The aim was establish the interrelationship between nutrition, behaviour and academic achievements in pupils. Conclusions. Breakfast is an essential meal in pupils’ day; regular habit of eating breakfast has beneficial influence on attentionconcentration, memory and school achievements. Well-balanced pupils’ nutrition decreases antisocial and aggressive behaviour. Physical activity reduces manifestation of negative emotions and stress in pupils.Keywords: physical activity, nutrition, behaviour, academic achievements.

‘Nutrition is out of our control’: soldiers’ perceptions of their local food environment

Objective:To explore the perceptions of soldiers participating in a US Army Office of The Surgeon General’s worksite health promotion programme (WHPP) on the local food environment within their campus-style workplace.Design:Focus groups were conducted to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the WHPP implementation. Further exploration of focus group data through thematic analysis focused on perceived contributions of the military campus-style food environment to soldiers’ nutrition behaviours.Setting:Three US Army installations located in the continental USA.Participants:Active duty soldiers (n 366) participating in one of the fifty-eight focus groups.Results:Soldiers shared a common belief of self-discipline and personal responsibility as the foothold to nutrition behaviour change. Soldiers described aspects of the military campus-style food environment as factors impeding achievement of optimal nutrition. Collectively, soldiers perceived the proximity and density of fast-food restaurants, lack of healthy alternatives on the installation and the cost of healthy food as inhibitors to choosing healthy foods. Overwhelmingly, soldiers also perceived time constraints as a factor contributing to unhealthy food choices.Conclusions:Although nutrition behaviour is individually driven, soldiers perceived the military campus-style food environment inhibits healthy decision making. Nutrition programming in military WHPP must integrate food environment changes to improve soldiers’ nutrition behaviour outcomes. Applicable to the military, food choice behaviour studies suggest environmental changes must be appealing to young adults. Considerations for environmental changes should include an increased portion size for healthy options, broadened use of soldiers’ daily food allowances on local produce and increased availability of grab-and-go options.