On March 2, 2023, the 2nd edition of the Pediatrics Congress took place at Hospital da Luz.
Nutritionist Cátia Pontes, principal researcher of the Veggies4myHeart Project, represented the entire team in the oral communication “Parents’ Perception of the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children – Veggies4myHeart Project”.
This oral communication addressed the issue of being overweight during childhood. Parental perception regarding the nutritional status of preschool children is crucial in raising awareness of childhood obesity and can be very relevant in its prevention.
In the 2022/23 Edition, the project intervened in 3 kindergartens in the municipality of Leiria. A questionnaire was administered to the children’s legal representatives. This instrument consisted of sociodemographic data and questions about parents’ perception of their children’s nutritional status. The body mass index (BMI) was used, based on the World Health Organization’s growth curves, to categorize the children. The results published in the oral communication taken to the Pediatrics Congress emerged from the responses to the questionnaire.
Given the results obtained, the Veggies4myHeart project exposed the importance of raising awareness among parents about the actual nutritional status of their children, who tend to perceive them as having a normal nutritional status, which could delay the search for specialized help and correct referral.
The oral communication was awarded as one of the best works at the event.
