ALINFA

The fees of childhood overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate, with Spain's being one of the highest in Europe. Here, one in five children -between 18 and 21%- are obese or overweight, according to the latest data of the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the most immediate consequences of childhood obesity is the appearance of children and adolescents with diabetes subject 2, hypercholesterolemia and high blood pressure, which predisposes them to serious cardiovascular diseases from childhood. Excess weight also has repercussions on the bones and the locomotor system as a whole, reducing tolerance to physical exercise and causing respiratory problems. In addition, it should be taken into account that overweight can negatively affect the emotional development of children and adolescents, with feelings of inferiority and leave self-esteem. They may also feel rejected and tend to isolation.

The causes for this status are mainly two: inadequate diets and sedentary lifestyles. Unfortunately in Spain, the Mediterranean per diem expenses , the nutritional outline that financial aid helps to prevent cancer, fight obesity or avoid cardiovascular diseases, has fallen into disuse. Paradoxically, this Mediterranean per diem expenses is practiced more in northern than in southern Europe. Several factors have influenced this status: lack of time to prepare menus and cook food at home, economic crisis affecting the shopping basket and price pressure from school canteens, lack of awareness among families about the impact of per diem expenses on health, etc. Thus, the diet of Spanish children is currently rich in proteins from meat and milk, in free sugars from pastries and sugary drinks, among others, and poor in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.

It is therefore necessary and urgent to reverse this status and promote from childhood healthy eating habits and for this it is necessary to address a number of challenges:

Children's preferences that lead them to accept or reject certain foods. They are both innate and learned and vary considerably with age and experience. Exposure to different tastes at critical periods of development has a profound influence on children's food choices. In addition, children's preferences also reflect their immediate environment. Economic, social, psychological or even environmental factors influence eating.

- Lack of knowledge and training on the impact of per diem expenses on children's health.

- Affordability in price

- Diversity of the child population: allergies, intolerances, etc,

The project ALINFA aims to address these challenges, generating knowledge, tools and solutions to improve access to healthy food for children from 3 to 12 years old, both through school meals and home meals. The project is proposed with a participatory approach in which children collaborate and participate in the process of creating the developments of project. The knowledge of their tastes and preferences, as well as the knowledge of the factors that influence their preferences, will be basic tools for the development of the project. In addition, special focus will be placed on the transfer of results with the goal to facilitate the population's access to the project developments, maximizing their impact.