An anthopological-social approach to childhood obesity: A case study in two schools in Valencia (Spain)

OBJECTIVE: The article analyses the interpretive frameworks of 82 children (10-12 years) and 10 mothers/1 father about obesity and overweight in two schools in Valencia (Spain). METHODS: This is a pilot study of a qualitative research project. Children answered a questionnaire with open questions and asked to role play and create short stories. The parents participated in focus groups. The following aspects were taken into account: gender, negative attributes, and forms of discrimination. The parents were asked about the causes and possible solutions to the problem in relation to the existing ones. RESULTS: The children came up with negative terms for overweight. Boys were more focused on the abdomen and girls were more focused on aesthetics. Girls had a greater perception of the effects of overweight on sociability. The parents were more concerned with the psychological effects of overweight on their children than with its health effects (only in severe obesity cases). Translator note: I did not understand this sentence. Should it not be "except in severe obesity cases"? CONCLUSION: Parents' perception of possible solutions demonstrated a clear influence of the nutritional discourses stemming from awareness campaigns, as well as little knowledge of other possible interventions with greater social or participative emphasis.