Papers by Luisa Arantes Vilela

Childhood overweight and obesity are growing public health concerns, leading to metabolic consequ... more Childhood overweight and obesity are growing public health concerns, leading to metabolic consequences such as increased body mass index, larger waist circumference, and excess body fat. Multi-component school interventions that address both the obesogenic environment and individual behaviors have been recommended, but their effectiveness remains uncertain. This review and meta-analysis, conducted following PRISMA guidelines, examined the impact of multi-component interventions -including modifications to the school food environment -on adiposity and food consumption among children and adolescents. A search on MEDLINE, SciELO, CENTRAL, Clinical Trials, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science identified 51 eligible studies. The meta-analysis showed a small but significant reduction in waist circumference (MD: -0.70cm; 95%CI: -1.22, -0.19; I 2 = 40%). Interventions were also linked to lower intake of unhealthy foods, total energy, total fat, saturated fat, and increased vegetable consumption. However, no consistent effects were observed for body mass index or body fat percentage. Study quality varied, and intervention designs and implementation strategies were heterogeneous; thus, results should be interpreted cautiously. These findings suggest that while school food environment interventions can improve some dietary behaviors and adiposity indicators, their effectiveness in preventing obesity remains inconclusive. Strengthening policies and ensuring long-term, structured interventions are crucial for meaningful and sustained health improvements in school settings.
Private school canteens: an analysis of the economic and financial aspects of the traditional and the healthy models
BMC Public Health, Oct 24, 2023

PLOS ONE, Jul 19, 2021
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) share common and modifiable risk factors; among them, unhealthy eat... more Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) share common and modifiable risk factors; among them, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, alcohol intake and smoking habit. However, these factors are not observed in separate and, most often, they influence each other. Risk factors established during adolescence are highly likely to remain in adult life. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the prevalence and coexistence of risk factors for CVD, as well as to investigate individual characteristic of the adolescent and environmental factors associated with risk factors' coexistence profiles. This was a cross-sectional, national, schoolbased epidemiological study that estimated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who attended public and private schools located in Brazilian counties with a population of more than 100 thousand. For this study, thematic blocks referring to alcohol consumption, eating habits, smoking, and physical activity were used. The grade of membership method was used to identify the coexistence of risk and protective factors for CVD among adolescents. The study analytical sample comprised 71,552 adolescents. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess the association between factors influencing the coexistence profile of risk factors for CVD. Based on adolescent-level variables, has shown that meeting positive criterion for Common Mental Disorders and not consuming the meals provided by the school have significantly increased the likelihood of belonging to the CVD-risk profile. On the other hand, school-level variables, show that studying in private schools and living in economically favored Brazilian regions have increased adolescents' likelihood of belonging to the CVD-risk profile. These results can be used to substantiate the inclusion of food environment variables in public policies focused on preventing CVD development among Brazilian adolescents.

Ciência & Saúde Coletiva
The aim of the current research is to analyze the coexistence of modifiable risk behaviors for ca... more The aim of the current research is to analyze the coexistence of modifiable risk behaviors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 12-to-17-year-old adolescents living in Brazil and their influence on overweight. National, cross-sectional, school-based epidemiological study focused on estimating the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in 12 to 17 year old adolescents enrolled in public and private schools in Brazilian counties accounting for more than 100 thousand inhabitants. The grade of membership method was used to identify the coexistence of risk factors among adolescents. The analytical sample comprised 71,552 adolescents. According to the two herein generated profiles, adolescents classified under Profile 2 have shown behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and diet rich in Ultra-processed food intake ≥ 80% of the percentage of total caloric value. In addition, adolescents presenting CVD risk profile have shown increased likelihood of being ove...

PLOS ONE
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) share common and modifiable risk factors; among them, unhealthy eat... more Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) share common and modifiable risk factors; among them, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, alcohol intake and smoking habit. However, these factors are not observed in separate and, most often, they influence each other. Risk factors established during adolescence are highly likely to remain in adult life. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the prevalence and coexistence of risk factors for CVD, as well as to investigate individual characteristic of the adolescent and environmental factors associated with risk factors’ coexistence profiles. This was a cross-sectional, national, school-based epidemiological study that estimated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who attended public and private schools located in Brazilian counties with a population of more than 100 thousand. For this study, thematic blocks referring to alcohol consumption, eating habits, smoking, and physi...
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Papers by Luisa Arantes Vilela