Research Article
Description of the EUROBIS Program: A Combination of
an Epode Community-Based and a Clinical Care Intervention to
Improve the Lifestyles of Children and Adolescents with
Overweight or Obesity
Claudia Mazzeschi,
1
Chiara Pazzagli,
1
Loredana Laghezza,
1
Dalila Battistini,
2
Elisa Reginato,
1
Chiara Perrone,
1
Claudia Ranucci,
1
Cristina Fatone,
1
Roberto Pippi,
1
Maria Donata Giaimo,
3
Alberto Verrotti,
4
Giovanni De Giorgi,
1
and Pierpaolo De Feo
1
1
Healthy Lifestyle Institute, Centro Universitario Ricerca Interdipartimentale Attivit` a Motoria (C.U.R.I.A.MO.),
University of Perugia, Via Giuseppe Bambagioni 19, 06126 Perugia, Italy
2
Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Specialty School of Psychiatry,
University of Perugia, Piazzale Gambuli, 1-06132 Perugia, Italy
3
Department of Health Prevention, Umbria Region, Via M. Angeloni, 61-06124 Perugia, Italy
4
Department of Medicine, Pediatric Clinic, University of Perugia, Piazzale Menghini, 1-0612 Perugia, Italy
Correspondence should be addressed to Chiara Pazzagli; chiara.pazzagli@unipg.it
Received 7 December 2013; Revised 13 June 2014; Accepted 17 July 2014; Published 4 August 2014
Academic Editor: Jean-Michel Boris
Copyright © 2014 Claudia Mazzeschi et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
he present paper describes the Epode Umbria Region Obesity Prevention Study (EUROBIS) and aims to implement the
C.U.R.I.A.MO. model through the EPODE methodology. he main goal of the EUROBIS is to change the pendency of slope of
the actual trend towards the increase in the yearly rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Umbria and to improve healthy
lifestyles of children and their parents. he project is the irst EPODE program to be performed in Italy. he aims of the Italian
EUROBIS study are: (1) a community-based intervention program (CBP) carrying out activities in all primary schools of the Umbria
Region and family settings as irst step, to reverse the current obesity trend on a long-term basis, and (2) a clinical care program
for childhood and adolescent by C.U.R.I.A.MO. model. C.U.R.I.A.MO. model is a multidisciplinary approach to improve three
key aspects of healthy lifestyles: nutrition, exercise, and psychological aspects with the strategy of a family-based approach. he
community-based intervention and clinical trial provide an innovative valuable model to address the childhood obesity prevention
and treatment in Italy.
1. Introduction
he prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and
adolescents is increasing rapidly with dramatic consequences
for health [1]. A study of the prevalence and determinants
of pediatric overweight and obesity in European coun-
tries reveals that the highest values are found in Italy.
Italian boys and girls show higher age-speciic values of
body mass index (BMI), body circumference, waist/hip, and
waist/height ratios when compared with other countries [2].
In Italy, pediatric obesity is one of the major public health
emergencies: 25% of subjects aged between 0 and 18 years
(average) are overweight, with a peak recorded in the 9- to 11-
year age group, in which 23% of the population is overweight
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
BioMed Research International
Volume 2014, Article ID 546262, 8 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/546262