Part of the PAS GRAS project, the pilot study ‘GicO - Gymnastics against Obesity’ aims to develop integrated programs for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and their families. 

This study, which includes thirty four children aged 6-7 years old from the Gymnastics Section of the Coimbra Academic Association, started in January 2024 and is being conducted at the University of Coimbra (Portugal).

Initially, participants undergo a series of assessments, including physical, functional, and body composition tests. Then, ‘literacy activities, physical activities, among others’ are built from the researchers' interaction with the children, explains PAS GRAS coordinator Paulo Oliveira. It's the gymnasts ‘who help us build this pilot study, that will later be used to expand to other young populations,’ adds the researcher from the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC).

Food is also being addressed in this pilot study. Through drawings and games, it was possible to see that the children ‘have good knowledge about a wide variety of foods’, reveals one of GicO's coordinators, Anabela Marisa Azul. It's clear ‘that the children participate in the family's daily activities, namely in the kitchen,’ adds the CNC-UC researcher.

Over the course of a year and a half, the tests will be repeated at three different time points to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed activities program.

GicO involves an interdisciplinary research team: around 30 researchers from different fields, such as sports, biomedicine, ecology, medicine, anthropology, nutrition, health geography, communication, illustration, design, and multimedia. 

Adapted from: https://cnc.uc.pt/en/combater-a-obesidade-e-o-excesso-de-peso-desde-crianca