They eat little fruit and vegetables and do little physical activity, with results that are obvious to everyone: the overweight and childhood obesity rates of Italian boys are second in Europe only to those of Greek peers. But above all, they have a psychological condition of poor well-being, which tends to decrease over the years. The results of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey conducted by researchers from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and from the Universities of Padua, Turin and Siena gives a reassuring snapshot of their state of health. All referring to the pre-coronavirus period, with the risk of an overall deterioration in habits caused by the lockdown and the prolonged closure of schools.
Diet and physical activity to be reviewed
The survey, included in the wider work coordinated by the Regional Office of the World Health Organization, offers a detailed overview of the physical health, social relations and psychological well-being of over 227 thousand school-aged children aged 11, 13, and 15 years. “Pre-teenagers, especially 11-year-olds, don’t eat much fruit: only a third of the sample reported daily consumption: a figure that places us at the bottom of the ranking of the countries involved in the report – says Alessio Vieno, professor of developmental psychology and of socialization of the University of Padua -. And as for vegetables, the results are even worse. We are last with regards to daily consumption ».
Added to this is one of the lowest levels of physical activity. What emerges from the survey is that Italian teenagers move for less than an hour a day. A habit that is gradually being lost, while the use of digital media grows hand in hand. Are the two aspects related? Difficult to say it with certainty, but in all probability yes. And together, probably more than the diet, they contribute to the achievement of a high rate of overweight and obesity, especially among the youngest (a problem for 1 in 5).
It would take at least an hour a day of sports
This tendency towards sedentary lifestyle – which is global, as can be seen from a work published in the journal in January «The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health»- translates into a worsening of health conditions starting from adolescence, with inevitable repercussions on what will be the health of future adults. The benefits determined by a physically active lifestyle during adolescence are very wide and include the improvement of muscle development, respiratory and cardiovascular health, as well as bones. These are almost obvious consequences deriving from a better management of body weight. The more you move, in fact, the less likely you are to find yourself fighting with the extra pounds. The evidence is not equally strong, but several studies have hypothesized a benefit also for the cognitive development and the construction of a solid social network by the youngest. Advantages that tend to last until adulthood. Hence the appeal of the World Health Organization: “Teenagers should play sports every day: at least one hour”.
Take care of the mind too
But the main concern that emerges from the report concerns the psychological health of the younger ones, which seems to decrease with increasing age: with girls particularly at risk One teenager out of 4 of those interviewed in the report has in fact reported that he often feels nervous , irritable and having difficulty falling asleep at least once a week. “This increase in the number of boys and girls in Europe who report poor psychological health is a concern for all of us – says Hans Henri P. Kluge, director of the European Office of the World Health Organization -. The answer we will give to this growing problem will have an echo for generations. Investing in young people, for example by ensuring that they have access to psychological health services appropriate to their needs, will have benefits for the health, social adaptation and economic well-being of today’s teenagers, who will be tomorrow’s adults ».
The survey also revealed that the share of teenagers feeling stressed from schoolwork is growing in about a third of countries. In most countries, school experience worsens with age, with satisfaction with school and the perception of school support by teachers and classmates that decrease as the stress on homework increases.
Alcohol, smoking and sexuality
To this we must add that, in the age group considered, the first approaches with alcohol and cigarette smoking are likely to occur. The survey shows that one in five fifteen year olds has already got drunk two or more times in life and at least one in seven in the last month. As can be read in the Umberto Veronesi Foundation Magazine, beer and especially spirits today attract more attention than cigarettes and “spinels”. The attitude to gambling (already tested by 4 out of 10 boys) and the excessive use of social networks are also concerned (8 out of 10 teenagers have daily contacts with friends they normally see in person).
The discovery of sexuality exposes children to the risk of unsafe behavior. Also on a European level, one in four adolescents was accustomed to unprotected sexual practices.
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