The study from the Portuguese Association Against Child Obesity (APCOI) concluded that Portuguese children are not eating the advised daily average of at least three portions of fruit a day, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.
A lower consumption of fruit, the Portuguese association warns, could entail “very negative” consequences for health, including low energy levels, lack of concentration, learning difficulties and poor organism defence, making children more susceptible to diseases such as obesity or diabetes.
The APCOI surveyed some 18,000 schoolchildren aged two to 12 from all over Portugal.
Region-wise, the study found children in the Azores consumed the least amount of fruit, with 83.6 percent falling short of the recommended daily target.
Madeira, the Alentejo, the central and northern region and the Algarve followed the Azores, while the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo regions registered the lowest percentage of children who do not eat enough fruit, levels were still high, at around 72.4 percent.
To tackle the issue of poor child nutrition APCOI launched an initiative in schools which aims to boost the consumption of fruit.
Mário Silva, president and founder of APCOI, said the project, named ‘Fruit Heroes – Healthy School Snacks’ “was created to be a tool for re-educating about food and raising awareness about health, to intervene in a school environment and encourage the consumption of fruit and other healthy foods in children’s meals.”
He added: “It is a pedagogical, key-in-hand model that is simple and free for any educational institution to put in practice.”
APCOI researchers found that one in every four children in a school with the programme in place increased their daily fruit intake in just 12 weeks.
The association hopes soon all primary schools and kindergartens will adhere to the project.
For more, see: www.heroisdafruta.com.