Browsing by Author "Pizarro Quevedo, Tito"
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Publication Effects of school closure on lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes in children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: A time-matched analysis(2024) Suárez, Mónica; Fernández-Verdejo, Rodrigo; Quintiliano Scarpelli Dourado, Daiana; Pinheiro Fernandes, Anna Christina; Pizarro Quevedo, TitoBackground :The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures, potentially impairing children's behaviours and health. We aimed to explore the effects of school closure on lifestyle behaviours (dietary habits, physical activity) and health outcomes (adiposity, fitness, self-esteem, self-concept) in children. Methods : We measured 247 children before school closure (October–November 2019) and after school reopening (October–November 2021) (COVID-19 group). To distinguish the changes due to school closure from changes due to growth, we included 655 age-matched children with cross-sectional measurements in October–November 2019 (control group). The response of this group (i.e., differences between children with 2 years of difference) was considered the expected response to growth. Two-way ANOVA was used to test age-by-group interactions, indicating an effect of school closure. Results: In 7-to-9-year-old children, the COVID-19 group had larger-than-expected decreases in physical activity (by 0.4 points), resulting in higher physical inactivity prevalence (by 19 percent points) at 9 years. This was accompanied by larger-than-expected increases in fat percentage (by 6.1 percent point). In 8-to-10-year-old children, the COVID-19 group had higher physical inactivity prevalence at 10 years (by 20 percent points). This was accompanied by larger-than-expected increases in fat percentage (by 8.3 percent points), z-score BMI (by 0.90 units), and waist circumference (by 6.1 cm). In 9-to-11-year-old children, the COVID-19 group had larger-than-expected decreases in physical activity (by 0.3 points) and increases in self-concept (by 0.2 points). The response in dietary habits, fitness, or self-esteem was not different between groups. Conclusion: Overall, school closure negatively impacted physical activity and adiposity, particularly in the youngest children.Item Food Availability in Different Food Environments Surrounding Schools in a Vulnerable Urban Area of Santiago, Chile: Exploring Socioeconomic Determinants(2022) Pinheiro Fernandes, Anna; Quintiliano-Scarpelli, Daiana; Araneda Flores, Jacqueline; Álvarez, Claudio; Suárez-Reyes, Mónica; Palacios, José Luis; Pizarro Quevedo, Tito; Marques de Oliveira, Maria RitaThe analysis of the food environment is used to identify areas with gaps in the availability of healthy foods and can be used as a public policy assessment tool. In recent decades, Chile has implemented several strategies and regulations to improve food environments, with encouraging results. Little is known about the scope of these measures in socially vulnerable environments. This study is part of a project that seeks to build an integrated intervention model for healthy school environments in a vulnerable area of Santiago, Chile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods around schools and the relationship between it and socioeconomic determinants of the school community in the Chilean context. A cross-sectional study to measure the food environment of informal markets (street food), formal markets (stores), and institutions (schools) was conducted in and around 12 schools (100 m surrounding schools) in a vulnerable urban area of Santiago, Chile. A lack of healthy foods was observed, which was related to some socio-economic determinants and the multidimensional poverty was the most relevant. The diagnosis of food environments around schools can represent an important target for governments to implement policies focused at improving the availability of healthy foods.