Food Acquisition in the Geography of Brazilian Obesity.

Overweight and obesity are a worldwide pandemic with geographic differences. Possible explanations include variable access to food and its quality, dietary habits of the populations, behavioral patterns, and characteristics of the food markets. This study aimed to examine the acquisition of food in the different regions of Brazil and to relate it with the geography of Brazilian obesity. We used data provided by a Brazilian official organ, which gathers periodic data on the household food acquisition. Descriptive statistics and multidimensional scaling techniques were used to ascertain the similarity of food acquisition among populations in the Brazilian states. High levels of overweight and obesity occur in all states (>44%), especially in the southern half of the country (>54%). We found differences in the food acquisition patterns throughout the country. Furthermore, we identify that states with similar dietary patterns have similar population levels of overweight and obesity, demonstrating a possible relationship between the food supply models and these food insecurity manifestations as expressed in the individual health. However, the occurrence of regional singularities suggests that the food supply model constitutes only one of the multiple variables that compete for diversity in the Brazilian regional distribution of obesity and overweight. We found that socioeconomic conditions influence nutritional misalignment in the geography of Brazil. Our results show that overweight and obesity have a higher occurrence in middle age (35-79 years), and it is more present in females. Moreover, women with lower education and lower incomes have higher levels of overweight and obesity, an association of unhealthy food intake with poverty. In men, obesity is more frequent in those with more schooling and higher incomes. Based on the widely variable geographical characteristics of the distant states of Brazil, we conclude that overweight and obesity go beyond an individual lifestyle and access to quality food, and is more related to a complex framing of factors, like schooling, age, sex, income, feeding patterns, food markets, and anthropological circumstances.

Earlier Alcohol Use and Lower Neuropsychological Performance in Brazilian Adolescence: Is the School Environment Related to This?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate impulsivity, inhibitory control, and alcohol use in preadolescents and adolescents aged 10 to 16 from public and private schools. METHODS: Participants were 190 adolescents selected from public and private schools in Brazil. Neuropsychological measures related to impulsivity (i.e., Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), inhibitory control (i.e., Go/No-go Task), and processing speed (i.e., Five Digits Test) were assessed. RESULTS: 60% of the sample had started drinking alcohol. Early alcohol consumption is not influenced by type of school, indicating that adolescents consume alcohol early, regardless of the type of education or income. Although there were significant differences in neuropsychological performance between types of schools, better neuropsychological performance was found in students from private schools. CONCLUSIONS: When comparing consumption of alcohol among public and private school students, there were no significant differences, perhaps because the use of early alcohol can be a public health problem. Private school students may perform better in inhibitory control task because they have a good school environment, which serves as a protective factor.

Técnicas persuasivas de comunicação em comerciais de alimentos para o telespectador brasileiro / Communication persuasive techniques in food commercials for the Brazilian audience / Técnicas persuasivas de comunicación en anuncios de alimentos para el telespectador brasileño

O telespectador é exposto a grande quantidade de mensagens que buscam persuadi-lo a escolher um determinado produto. A elevada proporção de propagandas de alimentos não saudáveis pode influenciar hábitos alimentares e contribuir para a obesidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar técnicas persuasivas de comunicação em propagandas de alimentos não saudáveis veiculadas na televisão. Uma amostra de 19 comerciais foi analisada em busca das técnicas persuasivas referidas na literatura. As técnicas mais frequentes foram conveniência, qualidade, sabor, valorização social e diversão. Também foram identificadas elevação do humor, oferta premiada, personagens animados e saudável, frequentes nos resultados de estudos nacionais e internacionais. Os resultados reforçam a pertinência do estudo psicológico das técnicas persuasivas, contribuindo para programas voltados a indivíduos que enfrentam problemas de saúde como obesidade, diabetes ou hipertensão. Podem, também, colaborar para ações preventivas para educar e conscientizar a população para a importância de escolhas mais conscientes e, possivelmente, saudáveis.

Television audience is exposed to a large amount of messages aiming at persuasion to choose a particular product. The high proportion of unhealthy food advertisements can influence eating habits and contribute to obesity. The objective of this study was to identify communication persuasive techniques in advertisements for unhealthy foods on open television. Persuasive techniques reported in the literature were searched in 19 advertisements from Brazilian TV. The most frequent techniques found were convenience, quality, taste, social value, and fun. Mood elevation, award-winning offer, animated characters, and health appeal were also observed, consistent with results of previous studies. These results reinforce the pertinence of the psychological study of persuasive techniques. Identification of such techniques can contribute to programs aimed at individuals facing health problems such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension. They can also support preventive actions to educate the population about the importance of more conscious and, possibly, healthy choices.

El espectador se expone a una gran cantidad de mensajes que buscan persuadirle a elegir un determinado producto. La elevada proporción de propagandas de alimentos no saludables puede influir en los hábitos alimentarios y contribuir a la obesidad. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar técnicas persuasivas de comunicación en propagandas de alimentos no saludables vehiculados en la televisión abierta en Brasil. Una muestra de 19 anuncios fue analizada en busca de las técnicas persuasivas referidas en la literatura. Las técnicas más frecuentes fueron conveniencia, calidad, sabor, valorización social y diversión. También se identificaron elevación del humor, oferta premiada, personajes animados y saludables, frecuentes en los resultados de estudios nacionales e internacionales. Los resultados refuerzan la pertinencia del estudio psicológico de las técnicas persuasivas, contribuyendo a programas dirigidos a individuos que enfrentan problemas de salud como obesidad, diabetes o hipertensión. Pueden también colaborar para acciones preventivas para educar y concientizar al público para la importancia de elecciones más conscientes y, posiblemente, saludables.

It is pleasant and heavy: convergence of visual contents in tobacco, alcohol and food marketing in Brazil.

The tactical use of visuoperceptual content in marketing may encourage impulsive consumption of unhealthy products. In this study, the application of visuoperceptual content was compared in advertisements used by industries of tobacco, alcohol and food. The aim was to ascertain whether similarities exist in the strategies used as variables for the selection of commercial stimuli, such as color, position and size. Scion Image and Corel Draw Graphics Suite software were used to analyze the content of a non-probabilistic sample of advertising images (N = 150). Differences were identified in the use of the colors green (p = 0.04) and red (p = 0.01), but not in the use of the color blue (p = 0.64), suggesting that induction of feelings of pleasantness resulting from the use of the color blue may be associated with the advertising in the alcohol and tobacco industries. Regarding the position of the commercial stimuli, a predominance of the use of quadrants 'C' (p = 0.00) and 'D' (p = 0.01) was found in all three industries, indicating a similar use of areas perceived as being 'heavier'. As to the size, 78% of advertisements placed the commercial stimuli within a range of 0-25% of the total image. The results showed some similarities in the use of visuoperceptual content in advertisements for tobacco, alcohol and food, especially between tobacco and alcohol. The article offers a convergence analysis of these three industries altogether, providing additional subsidies for the formulation of protection policies.

Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance.

INTRODUCTION: Attentional bias, the tendency that a person has to drive or maintain attention to a specific class of stimuli, may play an important role in the etiology and persistence of mental disorders. Attentional bias modification has been studied as a form of additional treatment related to automatic processing. OBJECTIVES: This systematic literature review compared and discussed methods, evidence of success and potential clinical applications of studies about attentional bias modification (ABM) using a visual probe task. METHODS: The Web of Knowledge, PubMed and PsycInfo were searched using the keywords attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation and attentional bias training. We selected empirical studies about ABM training using a visual probe task written in English and published between 2002 and 2014. RESULTS: Fifty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Most (78%) succeeded in training attention in the predicted direction, and in 71% results were generalized to other measures correlated with the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: ABM has potential clinical utility, but to standardize methods and maximize applicability, future studies should include clinical samples and be based on findings of studies about its effectiveness.

Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance / Modificação de viés atencional com base em tarefa de atenção visual: questões metodológicas, resultados e relevância clínica

Introduction: Attentional bias, the tendency that a person has to drive or maintain attention to a specific class of stimuli, may play an important role in the etiology and persistence of mental disorders. Attentional bias modification has been studied as a form of additional treatment related to automatic processing. Objectives: This systematic literature review compared and discussed methods, evidence of success and potential clinical applications of studies about attentional bias modification (ABM) using a visual probe task. Methods: The Web of Knowledge, PubMed and PsycInfo were searched using the keywords attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation and attentional bias training. We selected empirical studies about ABM training using a visual probe task written in English and published between 2002 and 2014. Results: Fifty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Most (78%) succeeded in training attention in the predicted direction, and in 71% results were generalized to other measures correlated with the symptoms. Conclusions: ABM has potential clinical utility, but to standardize methods and maximize applicability, future studies should include clinical samples and be based on findings of studies about its effectiveness.

Introdução: O viés atencional, definido como a tendência a direcionar ou manter a atenção focada em uma classe específica de estímulos, pode ter um papel importante na etiologia e manutenção dos transtornos mentais. A modificação do viés atencional tem sido estudada como forma adicional de tratamento dirigida ao processamento automático. Objetivos: Esta revisão sistemática da literatura compara e discute questões metodológicas, evidências de resultados positivos e potenciais aplicações clínicas dos estudos sobre a modificação do viés atencional (MVA) baseados em uma tarefa de atenção visual. Métodos: As bases de dados Web of Knowledge, PubMed e PsycInfo foram pesquisadas usando os descritores attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation e attentional bias training. Foram selecionados estudos empíricos sobre treinamento para MVA baseados em tarefa de atenção visual escritos em inglês e publicados entre 2002 e 2014. Resultados: Cinquenta e sete estudos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. A maioria (78%) obteve sucesso no treinamento da atenção na direção prevista, e 71% tiveram seus resultados generalizados a outras medidas correlacionadas com os sintomas. Conclusões: A MVA tem utilidade clínica potencial, mas, para atingir a padronização de métodos e a maximização de sua aplicabilidade, estudos futuros deverão incluir amostras clínicas e ser baseados nos resultados dos estudos sobre sua eficácia.