School Food Environment and Anthropometric Indicators of Schoolchildren in a Small Municipality in the Southern Region
of Espírito Santo
Name: RAÍSA PESSINI PIZETTA
Publication date: 08/05/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| FABIANA DE CASSIA CARVALHO OLIVEIRA | Examinador Interno |
| FLAVIA VITORINO FREITAS | Coorientador |
| LUIZA DELAZARI BORGES | Examinador Externo |
| MIRIAM CARMO RODRIGUES BARBOSA | Presidente |
Summary: Adequate and healthy nutrition is fundamental for the physical and cognitive
development of children. However, studies indicate a high consumption of ultra
processed foods by this group, which contributes to the increase in childhood
overweight and obesity. Among the associated factors are the difficulty of accessing
healthy foods and the presence of obesogenic environments. Therefore, guaranteeing
access to quality food, especially in the school environment, should be a priority in
public policies. This study aimed to analyze the school food environment and
anthropometric indicators of children in a small municipality in the southern region of
Espírito Santo. This is a cross-sectional, exploratory, and ecological study that was
carried out in commercial establishments and in two municipal elementary schools
located in the urban center of the municipality of Jerônimo Monteiro. The study
included measuring the body weight and height of students, evaluating the theoretical
menu of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) over a 13-month period,
evaluating lunchboxes, and auditing the food environment in the school and community
surroundings using the ESAO-s and ESAO-r instruments. The sample consisted of 266
schoolchildren (5–11 years old) with homogeneity across schools, and 33.1% of the
schoolchildren presented with overweight. The National School Feeding Program
(PNAE) menu was classified as "needs improvement," and 81% of the schoolchildren's
lunchboxes contained processed/ultra-processed foods. In the food environment
outside of schools, low rates of access to healthy foods and a predominance of ultra
processed food sales were found. The results of this study indicate that schoolchildren
in JM are exposed to an obesogenic food environment, marked by the predominance
of ultra-processed foods in commerce, high rates of overweight, and PNAE menus that
need improvement.
