Dietetics – Nutrition

The Department

Children and adolescents undergo anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) etc. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good indicator of the body fat based on the child’s height, weight, ethnicity and age.

There are specific BMI curves for Greek children. These curves are used by children health experts in order to rank boys and girls to those having normal weight, overweight, obese and underweight.Obesity in children is usually related with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, sleep apnoea and diabetes and has consequences on the child’s psychology. In the long term, these children have a higher risk of being obese adults and, according the World Health Organization, to suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other diseases related to high percentage of body fat.

It is as important for children not to be underweight, especially in the anorexia status, which is equally dangerous to being overweight, in relation to the child’s health and overall development.

The Nutrition Intervention focuses on nutrition education of children and their families as to what is a healthy balanced diet and a normal behavior towards food. Special emphasis is given on the engagement of children in the selection of their meals and snacks and on helping them follow a diet that fullfills their needs for growh and development. There is close collaboration with the Child-Endocrinologist Dr Maria Karantza- Charoni, Director of the Endocronology Department at Pedon Mitera and the Belavioral Psychologist  Dr Louiza Veletza for fascilitating changes.