Olive Oil Takes Center Stage in Spanish Childhood Obesity Program

The Extremadura Health Service in Spain recorded its highest participation to date in its Health Education Program Against Childhood and Youth Obesity during the 2025-2026 school year, in which olive oil was the featured food.

The program, launched in 2005 in cooperation with regional education authorities, promotes healthy eating and regular physical activity among children and adolescents.

A record 27,022 students and 1,274 teaching and non-teaching professionals participated in activities during the school year. These included YouTube cookery classes presented by participating children, homemade cookbooks created by multigenerational family groups and multisensory olive oil experiences.

In total, 226 schools participated, serving students from the second year of preschool through the first year of high school. Special education schools, basic vocational training centers and adult education centers also took part.

Officials said the participation figures were particularly significant because schools join the program voluntarily.

“It is a voluntary program, and we believe that, precisely because it is voluntary, it generates much greater participation among both schools and students,” Yolanda Márquez, director general of public health for the Extremadura Health Service, said at a recent press conference.

Students learned about the health benefits associated with extra virgin olive oil, including its role in dietary patterns linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. They were also taught to distinguish among different grades of olive oil and about factors affecting quality, including extraction methods and acidity.

Márquez emphasized that the program takes a broader approach to health by combining nutrition with physical activity.

“When we talk about healthy eating and physical activity, we’re not just talking about habits — we’re talking about disease prevention, well-being and, above all, the future of our population,” she said. “Because we know that healthy eating and physical activity are highly effective tools for preventing many chronic diseases.”

The program also emphasized locally produced foods, a principle associated with the Mediterranean diet. The extra virgin olive oils used in activities came from Extremaduran mills, including those operated by Aceitunera Granadilla, an association of nine olive cooperatives in northern Extremadura.

With olive growing deeply rooted in the region, many participating students also had family members directly involved in producing the oils used during the program.

Although the initiative is primarily educational and does not measure participants’ health outcomes, Márquez cited the Aladino 2023 study as evidence of broader progress in reducing childhood excess weight in Spain.

The nationwide study, conducted periodically among children aged six to nine, found that the prevalence of excess weight fell from 40.6 percent in 2019 to 36.1 percent in 2023.

However, the results also underscored substantial socioeconomic disparities. As organizations including Save the Children have previously highlighted, childhood obesity and excess weight are strongly associated with household income.

The ALADINO study found that excess weight affected 46.7 percent of children aged 6 to 9 in households with an annual gross income below €18,000. The rate fell to 36.4 percent among children in households earning between €18,000 and €30,000 and to 29.2 percent among those in households earning more than €30,000, according to published figures.

Márquez said the disparity makes school-based health education particularly important.

“I want us to continue promoting healthy eating and physical activity in schools, since that’s where we can promote health among children regardless of their individual family income,” she said.

“We want to send a positive message, and that message is that small changes lead to big benefits,” Márquez added. “Something as simple as incorporating fruits and vegetables into our diet, reducing our consumption of ultra-processed foods, walking daily as much as possible, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator are things that most of us can do and that ultimately benefit our health.”