Since 2022, a questionnaire has been administered in mainland schools to assess the intake of food additives among adolescents aged 11 to 17 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which students can complete the questionnaire?
All students from the contacted schools who are between 11 and 17 years of age.
Although the documentation mentions an additional, younger age group, that phase of the project is not yet being implemented.
What should be done with the informed consent form?
The informed consent form must be kept by the school.
This consent ensures that the student’s guardian has been informed and has authorised their participation in the study. Since the survey is administered in the school setting, the informed consent form is for school use. The Monitaditivos programme does not require this document to process the responses, which further guarantees the confidentiality of the information provided.
How many times should the questionnaire be completed?
Twice, on non-consecutive days.
For the questionnaire to be considered complete and valid, it must be filled in twice by the same student, ensuring that the two responses occur on non-consecutive days.
For the second completion of the questionnaire, what information should be entered in the first part of the form?
The same information as in the first response.
The data in the first part of the questionnaire (first two letters of the first name, first two letters of the last name, day of birth and age), as well as the anthropometric data (weight in kg and height in metres), must be the same as those provided in the first response, even if age, weight or height have changed between the first and second responses. This ensures that first and second responses can be easily matched during data processing.
The student has already completed the questionnaire in a previous year. Can they complete it again this year?
Yes.
The questionnaire is administered annually (calendar year, not school year). Therefore, a student who completed the questionnaire in previous years, and who still falls within the eligible age range, may complete it again this year.
Until when can the questionnaire be completed?
The questionnaire can be completed until the end of 2026 (31 December).
Do you have any questions that remain unanswered? You can contact us at: insa.monitaditivos@insa.min-saude.pt