School lunch menus in Spain. A review on recommendations and policy.

INTRODUCTION: An appropriate diet in childhood is essential for suitable growth and development, but it is also essential for preventing the development of non-communicable diseases in later stages. The School stage is fundamental. A significant proportion of students in Spain make use of the school lunch. We review the current situation in Spain, as well as public policy on school lunch and a nationwide review of specific legislation on each Autonomous Community. MATERIAL AND METHODS: National public policy and specific considerations in every Autonomous Community were reviewed. Only considerations on the composition of the school menu were considered. RESULTS: There are relatively recent state regulations but on school lunch menus also specific to each Autonomous Community. In general, and within a certain heterogeneity, they refer to the distribution of the diet and foods to be restricted. They usually provide guidelines, examples of daily menus, and graphic representations. Regarding school menus, there is a trend towards improvement in nutritional adequacy, but there is still room to improve. There are certain aspects related to the best solutions yet to be elucidated: management model, type of supervision, sustainability and local consumption, as well as school lunch schedules. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional contributions made in the school canteens are qualitatively and quantitatively important. In addition, it must fulfill educational and social equity functions. Although these concerns address specific recommendation in every Autonomous Community, there is huge heterogeneity on practical implementations.

Impact of parental smoking on childhood asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) of the childhood population in this community and its relationship with asthma symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire on children and adolescents in this community. The symptoms "wheezing ever", "current asthma", "severe asthma", and "exercise-induced asthma" were defined by this questionnaire. Parental smoking was classified into four mutually exclusive categories: 1) no parent smokes; 2) only the mother smokes; 3) only the father smokes; and 4) both parents smoke. The odds ratio of the prevalence of asthma symptoms according to ETS exposure was calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 10,314 children and 10,453 adolescents were included. Over 51% of the children and adolescents were exposed to ETS at home. ETS is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, particularly if the mother or both parents smoke. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ETS is still high in this community, although there has been a decreasing tendency in the last 15 years. ETS is associated with higher prevalence of asthma.