Under-reporting of food intake and body fatness in independent older people: a doubly labelled water study.

BACKGROUND: there are no accurate methods for the assessment of food intake in older populations, under-reporting of intake being highly prevalent. There is controversy about which dietary assessment method and what person's characteristics are associated with greater under-reporting rates. OBJECTIVE: to assess the correlation between under-reporting of energy intake (EI) and different percentages of body fat in independent older people. DESIGN: cross-sectional study. SETTTING: area assisted by the Family Health Program of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Brazil. SUJECTS: one hundred volunteers aged 60-70 years. METHODS: all volunteers had their body composition assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. In second phase, 41 volunteers were evaluated, representing the four quartiles of fat percentage. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured by the doubly labelled water method, and EI was assessed by 24-h recalls and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). TEE and EI values, EI-to-TEE ratios and EI-TEE values were compared. RESULTS: TEE was 2,220 ± 601 kcal, while the EI was 1,919 ± 602 kcal (24-h recall) and 2,119 ± 670 kcal (FFQ). The proportion of under-reporters was 31 and 40.5%, respectively. Under-reporting was more frequent in subjects with higher percentage of body fat and in females (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: under-reporting was more frequent among older persons with higher percentage of body fat in both methods of assessment of food intake. Older persons follow the same profile of under-reporting as younger adults.

Perfil e grau de satisfação profissional de cirurgiões-dentistas credenciados a uma operadora de planos odontológicos / Profile and acceptance ratio with the dental professionals working for a dental care provider

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar o perfil e o grau de satisfação profissional de cirurgiões-dentistas credenciados a uma operadora de planos odontológicos. Para esta pesquisa de campo de natureza quali-quantitativa, um questionário foi enviado por e-mail para 500 cirurgiões-dentistas dos municípios das regiões do Vale do Paraíba, Litoral Norte, Alto Tietê e Baixa Mogiana, com índice de retorno de 12% (60 respondentes) no prazo estipulado. A análise dos resultados da amostra revelou que 90% dos cirurgiões-dentistas que atendem neste convênio têm menos de 40 anos de idade e 77% até 10 anos de graduado. A maioria persiste interessada em atender convênios, tendo como intuito aumentar a receita. Os respondentes afirmam não fazer distinção entre o atendimento a pacientes particulares ou conveniados, quanto à qualidade do material empregado, aos horários de atendimento e à atenção dispensada. A maioria declarou também que não se sente realizada profissional e/ou financeiramente (68%) e que a renda obtida com os tratamentos de pacientes conveniados é insuficiente para arcar com as despesas do consultório (87%). Os cirurgiões-dentistas desta operadora de planos odontológicos, sujeitos desta pesquisa, são de graduação mais recente, que buscam criar sua carteira de clientes e obter um aumento na renda mensal. Apesar dos relatos acerca do baixo lucro e das dificuldades que às vezes aparecem no relacionamento com os pacientes conveniados, o credenciamento às empresas de odontologia de grupo ainda é o recurso mais utilizado pelos profissionais em início de carreira

The objective of this study was to obtain profile and personal-opinion data from dental professionals who work for a dental-care provider. To accomplish this objective, a qualitative and quantitative questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 500 dentists from the regions of Vale do Paraíba, Litoral Norte and Alto Tietê e Baixa Mogiana. The return rate was 12% (60 respondents). The analysis of the results indicated that 90% of the dentists who work for a dental-care provider are under 40 years old, and 77% of them have up to 10 years of professional experience. The majority of them are interested in continuing working for the provider and are focused on income increase. They also asseverate that there is no difference in the attendance of private and non-private patients; the attention, time-table and materials used are the same. Most of the respondents (68%) were not professionally and financially satisfied and believed that the compensation for non-private patients is not sufficient to cover expenses (87%). The dentists who work for dental-care providers are mainly new graduates who are trying to establish a client base and increase their monthly income. Despite the comments about the low compensation and difficulties associated with non-private patients, joining a dental care provider is still the most common path for professionals at the beginning of their careers.