The impact of eating habits upon incidence of weidht problems in school children

Child obesity is becoming a huge problem not just in the Czech Republic, but also among other developed countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) claimed that obesity is a plague of the 21st century. There was a noticeable prevalence of obesity and overweight in industrialized countries and also in the Southern Hemisphere. Although adult obesity has been increasing, the number of obese children has gone up even more rapidly. Currently, in the Czech Republic, nine percent of children are overweight and six percent of children are obese. There are even 4-year-old or 5-year-old children who are 50 kilograms. The theoretical part consists of children{\crq}s health care, the educational role of nurses in primary care, its definition, its purpose, its diagnostics, health risks, and the prevention of obese children. In the theoretical part we focus on the role of school nurse and her importance in the Czech Republic. The object of my graduation work was to get an overview of school children{\crq}s obesity in selected schools in West Bohemia. The scheduled targets were fulfilled. Included in the research were two pre-set assumptions. The first assumption was that the eating habits of school age children do not correspond with rational nutrition. It was not confirmed because it was found that in our research only a minority of pupils don{\crq}t keep up with the principals of rational nutrition. The second assumption stated that insufficient physical activity influences the occurrence of obesity of school age children. This hypothesis was confirmed. Pupils in their leisure time do not pay attention to physical activity at all. They usually watch TV, play PC games, or use PCs for school and other purposes. The research results should be used in the education plan for pupils, teachers and nurses in primary care, they also should improve the lifestyle of school age children, explain to them the importance of a correct way of living. And, in the last place, the results should help to forge good cooperation in the area of obesity prevention and in the area of school age children{\crq}s lifestyle