Promoting Self-Regulation in Health Among Vulnerable Brazilian Children: Protocol Study.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Brazil's Health in School Program (PSE) aims to integrate health and education to prevent risk factors and promote health.
• Self-regulation (SR) is a key construct for understanding health habits and improving individual health.
• A novel program promoting SR in health (SRH) was developed, incorporating healthy eating and oral health topics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and evaluate a program promoting SRH (PSRH) among 5th-grade students in Brazil.
• To train teachers and health professionals in SRH to deliver classroom interventions.
• To assess the impact of the PSRH on students' health behaviors and knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design with three groups: PSE program (Condition I), PSE plus SRH program (Condition II), and a control group (CG).
• Intervention involved teachers and health professionals trained in SRH delivering program content.
• Baseline data collected using Body Mass Index (BMI), Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PFDQ), and Declarative Knowledge for Health Instrument.

Main Results:

• Preliminary data indicate high prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among students.
• High consumption of ultra-processed foods was reported across all groups.
• While Condition I and II showed regular oral hygiene, the CG exhibited good oral hygiene.

Conclusions:

• The PSRH, integrated with PSE, has the potential to mitigate health issues like obesity and oral diseases in schools.
• Successful implementation could lead to reduced public health expenditures related to children's health.
• Further research and broader implementation are recommended to validate these findings.