Methodological aspects and characteristics of participants in the study on the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents in Florianopolis, Southern Brazil, 2018-2019: EPOCA study

Purpose: To describe the methodological aspects and characteristics of the participants of the EPOCA survey.Methods: The study was conducted with schoolchildren aged between seven to 14 years old from 30 schools in Florianopolis, Southern Brazil. Body mass, height, girths, and skinfold thicknesses were mea-sured. Food consumption and physical activity from the previous day were self-reported using the vali-dated Web-CAAFE questionnaire. Adolescents completed a specific questionnaire about physical activity, meal consumption, and weight control behaviors. Parents/guardians responded to a sociodemographic and habits questionnaire.Results: A total of 1671 schoolchildren participated in the study (response rate: 27.2%). About 63% of schoolchildren were enrolled in public schools. Most studied in the morning shift (54.2%), were female(53.1%) and aged between seven and 10 years (58.1%). The prevalence of overweight was 33.7% and obe-sity was 11.3%. Conclusions: The data obtained will allow us to assess the trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors when compared to other surveys performed. Descriptions of the logistics and protocols can help in the development and improvement of similar studies. It is hoped that the results of EPOCA 2018/2019 may help in the design of obesity prevention policies and programs for this population. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study described the methodology and characteristics of the participants in the EPOCA survey. Schoolchildren aged 7-14 from 30 schools in Florianopolis, Southern Brazil were included. Measurements of body mass, height, girths, and skinfold thicknesses were conducted, along with self-reported food consumption and physical activity. The study provides valuable data to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population and can contribute to the design of obesity prevention policies and programs.