Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Stoma Quality of Life Questionnaire for Patients With a Colostomy or Ileostomy in Brazil: A Cross-sectional Study.

Many studies examining the quality of life of stoma patients utilize questionnaires that have not been validated specifically for these patients in their native language. Owing to the large and increasing prevalence of intestinal stomas, a cross-sectional study was conducted among patients of a stoma patient health care service in Juiz de Fora, Brazil between September 2014 and August 2015 to validate the Stoma Quality of Life (Stoma-QoL) questionnaire in Portuguese (Brazilian variant). In addition, the effect of sociodemographic, clinical, and eating habit variables on the quality of life of people with a colostomy or ileostomy was assessed. Eating habit variables included eating comfort in the postoperative period, excluding foods for a period of time, fear of eating, and excluding foods that may cause odor, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation. All patients with a colostomy or ileostomy served by 1 ostomy care center were invited to participate. Patients who were at least 18 years of age, provided signed informed consent, and had the physical and mental capacity to complete the questionnaire were eligible to participate. The sociodemographic, clinical history, eating behavior, and Stoma-QoL questionnaires were administered by trained researchers as part of patient nutritional care. A sample of 11 (10% of all study participants) also completed the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), which includes a Mental Component Summary (MCS) and a Physical Component Summary (PCS), to establish convergent validity. All participant response data were collected using a standardized form developed for this study and stored in electronic files. The identities of patients were kept anonymous, and patients had the option to refuse to participate during the assessment. Data were analyzed descriptively; the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze associations among the variables collected. Normal distribution of the Stoma-QoL total scores was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Internal consistency was assessed as a whole using Cronbach's alpha, and agreement and reproducibility were determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Relationships between the Stoma-QoL and the SF-12 items were examined using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The majority of the 111 participants were men (57, 51.4%), most (94, 84.7%) were 50 years of age or older, 70 (63.1%) had a colostomy, and 41 (36.9%) had an ileostomy. Most stomas (79, 71.2%) were created to treat cancer of the colon and rectum. The mean overall Stoma-QoL score for study participants was 58.7 ± SD 12.0 (range 32.0-78.0). The internal consistency of the translated Stoma-QoL was .87, demonstrating a high degree of reliability. The convergent validity of the Stoma-QoL with the SF-12 confirmed higher correlation among the items regarding emotional aspects, mental health, social aspects, and vitality, with a higher correlation with the MCS (r = .52; P = .02) and lower correlation between the PCS and the items that assess general health, functional capacity, physical aspects, and pain (r = .38; P = .04), although both were significant. A moderate and significant association was noted between the questionnaires. Women (P = .02) and patients who deprived themselves of food for a certain period of time had a lower quality of life (P = .05). Persons who excluded foods out of fear of repercussions also had significantly lower QoL scores (P <.001). Colostomy and ileostomy patients had a similar quality of life. This study confirms the Stoma-QoL is a valid research tool for colostomy and ileostomy patients in Brazil. Further studies are recommended in the field of food and nutrition to verify observed concerns related to the eating behavior of intestinal stoma patients and the relationship to their quality of life.

Assessing the nutritional information for children younger than two years old available on popular websites. / Avaliação das informações nutricionais referentes às crianças de até dois anos disponíveis em sites populares.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether the information found on popular Internet sites are in accordance with the steps recommended by the Food Guide for Children Younger than Two Years of the Ministry of Health (2010). METHODS: Descriptive/comparative study, carried out between August and October 2014, which carried out a search for popular sites (for lay people) in Portuguese, containing information on nutrition of children younger than two years. The Google search engine was used. These findings were compared with the Food Guide for Children Younger than Two Years of the Ministry of Health (2010). It was verified whether the information shown on the websites was in accordance with the Guide. RESULTS: A total of 50 sites were analyzed, including blogs, food company websites and websites specialized in child nutrition. Only 10% of those pages correctly showed every step of the Food Guide. The recommendations were: exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of life (80%); complementary feeding from six months of life (36%); baby food consistency according to the guide (48%); encouraging the consumption of fruits and vegetables daily (60%). Regarding the complementary feeding safety and hygiene, 26% contained correct information. Only 36% correctly warned about which foods should be avoided in the first years of life. CONCLUSIONS: The information found on the sites is largely in disagreement with the Ministry of Health recommendations, which can lead to misconceptions in the nutritional care of the children younger than two years.

Availability of food stores and consumption of fruit, legumes and vegetables in a Brazilian urban area.

BACKGROUND: The food environment can have an important influence on the availability of and access to food, which plays a significant role in the health of individuals. The goal of this study was to compare the consumption of fruits, legumes and vegetables (FLV) by adults and the availability of food stores in the context of socioeconomic and geographic space connected to basic health units in a Brazilian capital city. METHODS: The study was developed from information obtained through the Risk Factors Surveillance for Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention by Telephone Survey (VIGITEL), using samples from Belo Horizonte from the years 2008 to 2010. A total of 5611 records were geocoded based on the postal code. A score was created based on the weekly and daily frequency of FLV intake of individuals. The coverage area of basic health units was used as a neighborhood unit. Georeferenced data on food stores in the city and neighborhood income were used. RESULTS: As neighborhood income increased, there was an increase in the distribution of food establishments for all of the studied categories. The highest FLV intake scores were observed in areas with higher income levels. CONCLUSION: The highest concentration of food stores, regardless of supply quality, was observed in geographic areas with higher purchasing power and in those where there was a greater concentration of other types of businesses and services, a different pattern from that found in other countries.

Antecedentes: El ambiente alimentar puede tener una influencia importante en la disponibilidad y el acceso a ellos, éste desempeña un papel importante en la salud de las poblaciones. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar el consumo de frutas, legumbres y hortalizas (FLV) de adultos y la disponibilidad de las tiendas de alimentos en el contexto del espacio socioeconómico y geográfico en el territorio de las unidades básicas de salud en una capital brasileña. Métodos: El estudio se desarrolló a partir de la información obtenida a través de la Vigilancia de Factores de Riesgo para Enfermedades no Transmisibles Prevención de Encuesta Telefónica (VIGITEL), utilizando muestras de la ciudad de Belo Horizonte en los años de 2008 a 2010. Un total de 5.611 registros fueron geo-codificados usando el código postal. Una puntuación fue creada en base a la frecuencia semanal y diario del consumo de FLV . El área de las unidades básicas de salud se utilizó como unidad vecinal. Se utilizaron los datos geo-referenciados de los comercios de venta de comida en la ciudad y el barrio. Resultados: A medida que aumentaba la renta del barrio, hubo un aumento en la distribución de los establecimientos de comida e bebidas para todas las categorías estudiadas. Se observaron las puntuaciones más altas de consumo FLV en zonas con niveles de ingresos más altos. Conclusión: La mayor concentración de tiendas de alimentos e bebidas e mayor puntuación de consumo, independientemente da calidad de los productos ofrecidos, fue observado en las áreas geográficas con mayor poder adquisitivo.