Perception of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System in the Zona da Mata Mineira region of Brazil: A qualitative approach.

ABSTRACT

This work is a qualitative exploratory survey that aims to identify healthcare workers and skilled professionals' perceptions of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System in the Zona da Mata Mineira region of Brazil. Data analysis was carried out through content analysis; testimonials were extracted from semi-structured interviews via the qualitative data processing software Interface de R pour lês Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires version 0.7 alpha 2. A total of 41 people were interviewed, including primary healthcare center coordinators, and technical consultants at the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, as well as nutritionists and data entry clerks. The issues most mentioned during interviews were related to lack of anthropometric equipment, absence of transportation, and inadequate facilities. Regarding the work process, professionals identified scarce training and nonuse of the data collected for healthcare decision-making as factors that compromise desired system outcomes. System qualities were also recognized, especially the mapping of main nutritional issues in the region. The participants reported the need for greater efforts to raise awareness of the importance of Food and Nutrition Surveillance actions at all levels of the public healthcare system. They also highlighted the need for human resources training, higher quality data recording, and suitable facilities. Investments in the entire system are essential to strengthen the information-decision-making-action triad, which would result in the improvement of users' health indicators.