CEIDSS began the Scientific Impact Measurement Study on the Escola Missão Continente programme in September 2021.

This study aims to accompany primary school children enrolled in the EMC programme for 4 consecutive years (2021-2025), addressing the general theme “Mediterranean Diet – a healthy, sustainable and conscious option”, where each year a specific programme will be applied with integrated content, adjusted to the ages of the children in each year of schooling.

For primary school, a plan will be created with specific themes on healthy eating. By year of schooling it will be

• 1st year | The importance of fruit and vegetables in children’s diets
• 2nd year | Pulses and fish consumption
• Year 3 | Foods from the Mediterranean Diet Wheel
• 4th year | Nutritional composition and healthy food choices

All the classes enrolled in the Programme will cover these 4 themes over the 4 years of follow-up. This is one of the first studies involving a nationwide nutrition and community health programme that will include more than 40 primary schools representing the 18 districts of mainland Portugal, including the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores.

This study also aims to counter the probable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of childhood obesity in Portugal, which is the most prevalent disease in childhood, with 1 in 3 children being overweight.