title: Diet and physical activity in pre-school children: a pilot project for surveillance in three regions of Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test a surveillance system on diet and physical activity based on data gathered at well-child visits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data collection on growth, diet, physical activity and sociodemographic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Offices of 179 paediatricians in three Italian regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  26 898 children for a total of 32 915 well-child visits at 1, 3, 5-6, 8-9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 60-72 months of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BMI Z-score was lower than the WHO standard at 1 and 3 months but higher from 8-9 months onwards. The rates of breast-feeding at 1, 3, 5-6, 8-9 and 12 months were 88 %, 75 %, 64 %, 52 % and 32 %, respectively, with 5 % and 3 % continuing up to 24 and 36 months. Exclusive breast-feeding was 64 %, 54 % and 20 % at 1, 3 and 5-6 months, respectively; 57 % at 5 months and 85 % at 6 months were given complementary foods. Only 8 % and 10 % of children were taking five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, while 47 % and 51 % were consuming sugar-sweetened beverages at 36 and 60-72 months, respectively. At 60-72 months, less than 10 % reported at least 1 h of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on 5-7 d/week, and 32 % watched television or played videogames for more than 2 h/d, every day. The majority of paediatricians rated the surveillance system as reliable and feasible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surveillance for diet and physical activity in pre-school children, with data gathered during well-child visits, is feasible and potentially useful to plan and evaluate activities for the prevention of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research and International Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Via dell'Istria 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy. carletti@burlo.trieste.it
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carletti
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macaluso
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pani
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caroli
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giacchi
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montico
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables