Dietary patterns and body adiposity in children in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Many factors are associated with the increase in total and central body adiposity in children, especially eating habits. This has led to an increasing number of studies analysing food patterns, which consider the synergistic effect of food and nutrient intake on the nutritional status. The objective of this study was to identify the dietary patterns of children aged 4-7 years and associate these with different indicators of total and central body adiposity. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study METHODS: The study consisted of 403 children from a retrospective cohort in Minas Geraes, Brazil. Four indicators of body adiposity were evaluated: body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and percentages of total and central body fat (assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). The dietary habits of the children were evaluated by identifying the dietary patterns using principal component analysis. The adjustment predictor variables were related to the socio-economic characteristics, lifestyle and duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Food patterns were identified by factor analysis. Linear regression was used to estimate the regression coefficient and the confidence interval, considering statistical significance of α = 5%. RESULTS: Five dietary patterns were identified, which explained 42.3% of the data variance: 'Traditional', 'Unhealthy', 'Milk and chocolate', 'Snack' and 'Healthy'. The multiple linear regression model showed that a greater adherence to the 'Traditional' and 'Unhealthy' patterns was related to higher BMI, WHtR, and total and central body adiposity. CONCLUSION: Children with a higher intake of food from the 'Traditional' and 'Unhealthy' patterns showed an increase in total and central body adiposity.

A Web-based distance education course in nutrition in public health: case study.

BACKGROUND: Strict work timetables, personal and professional duties or an inability to be absent from home or work can all represent major constraints for those wishing to improve their professional skills. Within this context, the World Wide Web can allow people to conveniently follow distance courses from their homes. OBJECTIVE: To present an experience in the use of the Web in the continuing education of healthcare professionals in Brazil. METHODS: A Web-based distance education course in nutrition in public health was developed. The methodology was an adaptation of both problem-based and task-based learning. At the end of the course an evaluation questionnaire which covered the course s contents, the educational methodology and resources, the duration and schedule, and the use of the Web as a tool for distance education was given to the students. RESULTS: There were 83 on line registrations from 13 states, 73 of the applicants were female, 62 had a degree in nutrition and 18 were physicians. From these; eleven students from ten states were chosen: nine female nutritionists, two female physicians, and one male physician. Seven students completed the course, took and passed the final exam. Of the other four students, two failed to follow the schedule, one had health problems, and one did not obtain the minimal score for sitting the final exam. The students had a mean age of 35, and a mean of ten years in practice. They all stated that they were unable to attend a regular course, even though they felt that they needed to improve their professional skills. Most of them studied seven days a week for between two and four hours a day. The students also felt that their professional skills had improved and each reported having made changes in their practice as a result of their participation. The students approved of the course s contents, methodology and resources, however they were divided about its duration. The Web as a tool in distance education was approved by the students. If it was not for the Web they could not have taken part in a continuing education program. All students said they would attend another virtual course, if available. Even though most of them did not have difficulty adapting to the virtual environment, they did feel that an adaptation period would be of value. CONCLUSIONS: A Web-based course may be more effective than other distance education methodologies because it is more interactive and dynamic. On-line material can be constantly reviewed and updated, and the students can have the opportunity to submit commentaries or questions directly to the teaching staff. A Web-based course also allows the students to go beyond the course content as they learn how to search and take advantage of the huge resources of information available on the Internet.

Diversidade e equitabilidade de Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais na zona rural de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil / Diversity and equivalence of unconventional food plants in rural zone of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

O presente estudo analisou a diversidade e equitabilidade de plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANCs) na zona rural de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil. A pesquisa foi conduzida utilizando a amostragem Bola de Neve com entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas à 20 moradores de nove comunidades rurais. Avaliou-se a frequência relativa de citação das espécies (Fr); a diversidade e equitabilidade das mesmas, utilizando os índices de Shannon-Wiener (H') e de Pielou (J'), respectivamente. As espécies foram listadas pela família, nome científico, nomes populares, ambiente de propagação, hábito de crescimento, formas de consumo, estado de domesticação, ciclo de produção e registro por meio de consultas em herbários do bioma Mata Atlântica. Foram encontradas 59 espécies de PANCs, distribuídas em 30 famílias botânicas e 48 gêneros. As famílias asteraceae e myrtaceae se destacaram pela riqueza florística, contribuindo com 11 e 7 espécies, respectivamente. Espécies da família asteraceae obtiveram as maiores frequências relativas (32,2). Obteve-se índice de diversidade Shannon-Wiener de 1,65 (Base 10), e de equitabilidade de Pielou de 0,93. Os resultados encontrados estão similares à de outros estudos desenvolvidos no bioma Mata Atlântica, observou-se ampla diversidade de PANCs na área de estudo, e o conhecimento sobre estas encontra-se distribuído uniformemente entre os moradores

This study analyzed the diversity and the equity of unconventional food plants (UFPs) in the rural area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The research was performed using the Snowball sampling with semi-structured interviews, applied to 20 residents from nine rural communities. We evaluated the relative frequency of citation of the species (Fr); the diversity and equity of the same species, using the Shannon-Wiener (H') and Pielou (J') indexes, respectively. The species were listed by its family, scientific name, common denominations, propagation environment, growth habit, application methods, domestication state, production cycle and finally registration through consultation in herbaria in the Atlantic Forest biome. We found 59 species of UFPs, distributed in 30 botanical families and 48 genera. The Asteraceae family and the Myrtaceae one stood out for their floristic richness, contributing to 11 and 7 species, respectively. Species from the Asteraceae family got the highest relative frequencies (32.2). It was obtained the Shannon-Wiener diversity index of 1.65 (Base 10), and the Pielou equity index of 0.93. The results are similar to other studies developed in the Atlantic Forest biome, where there was a wide diversity of UFPs in the study area, and the knowledge of these plants is evenly distributed among the residents

Instrumentos de inquérito dietético utilizados na avaliação do consumo alimentar em adolescentes: comparação entre métodos / Dietary records used for food consumption evaluation in adolescents: comparison among methods

Diante das dificuldades existentes em torno do processo de avaliação do consumo alimentar, especificamente na adolescência, o presente estudo se propôs a comparar diferentes instrumentos de inquérito dietético utilizados no grupo etário em questão. Tal estudo foi realizado com 60 adolescentes, do sexo feminino, entre 14 e 18 anos de idade. Foram aplicados o 3 repetições do Recordatório de 24 Horas (R24H), Registro Alimentar de três dias (RA) e Lista de Compras (LC): da Família (LCF) e do Adolescente (LCA). Os R24H e RA mostraram boa reprodutibilidade, sendo possível inferir que uma única aplicação do R24H ou RA foi capaz de refletir a média (ou mediana) de ingestão do grupo populacional estudado. A utilização LC permitiu o conhecimento da disponibilidade de alimentos no contexto em que o indivíduo se insere. Todos os instrumentos dietéticos são passíveis de erros, assim a escolha do mais adequado deve se basear nos propósitos do estudo, bem como, na população estudada.

Given the difficulties surrounding evaluating food consumption, specifically during adolescence, the goal of the present study was to compare different dietary assessment instruments used for this age group. The study was carried out with a group of 60 female adolescents between 14 and 18 years of age. Three repetitions of 24-Hour Recall, three-day Dietary Records and Purchase List of the adolescents and their families were collected. The 24 Hour Recall and Dietary Records had good repeatability, allowing to infer that only one application of oneof these instruments was capable of reflecting the ingestion average (or median) of the study population group. The Purchase List allowed us to know the food availability within the context of the individual’s conditions. All dietary assessment instruments may contain errors, therefore the choice of the most adequate method must rely on the objectives of the study being developed, as well as the study population.