Childhood Obesity Prevention Trough the "CHIQUICHEFS" Program of Education Innovation and Cooking in a Primary School: A Quasi Experimental Study

Childhood obesity is recognized as both the most prevalent health problem in the western world and as a global epidemic. It has an multifactorial aetiology. Obesity in children has been attributed to decrease in physical activity and the overconsumption of cheap energy dense food.

Spain has one of the highest prevalence rates of overweight and obese children among OECD countries.

Health promotion and prevention strategies in community settings are in general most effective where they engage with social networks and build social capital to enable community ownership and embedding strategies. This is particularly the case for health promotion at primary school, as social institutions within a community setting that represent a complex system with direct an indirect community relationship and social networks.

One of the best methods to prevent childhood obesity is to follow the Mediterranean diet. Especially in Mediterranean countries for the ease of access to essential products of this diet.

Chiquichefs is a methodology of project-based learning using healthy through cooking as the core of the curriculum, so children learn the academic content through cooking workshop in their school.