Protocol of the CRISCO study: health risk behaviors among adolescents in the Federal District, Brazil

Health risk behaviors adopted during adolescence may persist into adulthood and increase the risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Despite their public health relevance, adolescents enrolled in Brazilian Federal Institutes remain underrepresented in epidemiological research. This article describes the protocol of the CRISCO Study, which is designed to estimate the prevalence of health risk behaviors, identify their correlates, and examine their associations with physical and mental health outcomes among adolescents enrolled in integrated technical high school programs in the Federal District, Brazil. The CRISCO Study is a school-based, cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted across the 10 campuses of the Federal Institute of Brasília (IFB). A census sampling strategy was adopted, targeting approximately 2,530 students aged 14–19 years. Health risk behaviors constitute the exposure variables and were assessed using self-reported questionnaires and 7-day wrist-worn triaxial accelerometry. Outcomes include mental health, health-related quality of life, and physical fitness components, including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and body composition, assessed using standardized field tests, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and anthropometric measurements. Prevalence estimates and multilevel regression models will be used to examine the associations between health risk behaviors and health outcomes. The CRISCO Study will provide estimates of the prevalence of health risk behaviors and their associations with physical and mental health outcomes among adolescents enrolled in the IFB. The findings may support school health surveillance and inform evidence-based health promotion strategies within the IFB network.