IDEFICS – Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS 

The IDEFICS Study, started in September 2006 and ended in February 2012 after a prolongation of 6 months. The Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine at the University of Bremen (today Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS) coordinated the study, which was funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme.

The study delivered reliable data to make an international assessment of the problem of “obesity in children” possible. The focus of the IDEFICS Study lied in exploring the risks for overweight and obesity in children as well as associated long-term consequences. Beyond pure research, IDEFICS offered activities for health promotion and prevention in kindergartens and schools. These prevention programmes were developed, implemented and evaluated within the IDEFICS Study.

The project’s publishable final activity report was prepared on 27th May 2012. It presents an overview of the study objectives and summarises the work performed and final results. More information about IDEFICS study: http://www.ideficsstudy.eu/home.html