The collection of data for the current research was
made by the nurses at the COI, who got in touch with
the patients by telephone and scheduled an assessment
appointment on the COI premises, in a reserved room.
At that time, the children or teenagers went with their
parents or guardians who signed the authorisation
and were present throughout the appraisal period. A
checklist was then completed, to check if they: have
been monitored continuously by the COI for at least 12
months since 2009; come to at least one appointment
with each of the following professionals: nutritionist,
endocrinologist and physical trainer; and have not used
any medication which could affect their appetite and/
or their profile regarding blood fat and sugar. After
this list has been answered and once the criteria for
inclusion have been met, the patients were subjected
to a measurement of anthropometric parameters and
also application of a questionnaire which addressed
demographic information and eating habits. In this
last item, there were some objective questions about
the frequency of each foodstuff on start of treatment
in 2009, and in the present period, after at least 12
months of treatment. It must also be stressed that,
when necessary, the people responsible for the children
and teenagers helped with the answers.