The RUN UP Project evaluated the nutritional status, motor competence and physical fitness of 900 children from Alentejo’s schools
The RUN UP project, funded by the CHRC and with Gabriela Almeida as its main researcher, proved to be an innovative study, with the aim of bringing the area of health and well-being closer to the community, so that it will be possible to promote positive changes in the future, especially regarding the health of children in the Alentejo region.
Due to the current lifestyle, along with other factors, there has been an exponential increase in sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity in children, whether due to excessive time in front of screens and lack of physical exercise, thus promoting childhood obesity and decreaseding the motor competence and physical activity.
Due to this, the University of Évora, NOVA Medical School and CHRC joined forces by forming a research team, joining the Municipalities of Évora, Viana do Alentejo and ARS Alentejo to carry out a study with data collection and to learn more about the current values in both motor competence and physical activity, to verify the current scenario.
“The RUN UP project aims to provide a characterization of children in the Évora and Viana do Alentejo regions in relation to nutritional status, motor competence, physical and sedentary activity, sleep quality, screen exposure time, health-related physical fitness and mental health . The results of the RUN UP study will provide scientific evidence that will support the definition of a local strategy to respond to identified health problems”. – said the main researcher of this project, Gabriela Almeida.
In this study, in a total recruitment of 1500 school-age children (6-10 years old), approximately 900 participated in the evaluation between February and June of this year, from schools in Évora and Viana do Alentejo, totaling the implementation of this evaluation program in 19 primary schools.
As expected, the results from the data collected brought unsettling data:
The results of the RUN UP study reveal unsettling health indicators among children. The prevalence of overweight, including obesity, reaches 30%. Furthermore, 61% of children do not meet the recommended hours for active play, and 18% do not reach the recommended minimum hours of sleep. Excessive screen time is also alarming, with only 45% of children spending less than 1 hour per day. Low percentiles of motor competence are evident, with an average percentile of 49, and 27% of children have unfavorable clinical outcomes with regard to socio-emotional development.” – said the researcher.
“The research team is committed to creating an educational tool, based on current scientific evidence and aligned with international health and educational recommendations. This tool will aim to encourage and support children and families in behavioral change towards a healthy lifestyle, promoting healthy eating habits and regular physical activity in the school and in family context.” – concluded Gabriela.
Learn more about this project on https://www.runup.uevora.pt/