Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Brazilian Community Restaurants for the Dimension of Low-Income People Access to Food.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Government of the State of Bahia/Brazil, for the dimension of access to food. The study used secondary data obtained from the public opinion survey Profile of users of community restaurants in Salvador. The nutritional information was accessed through the analysis of CRs' menus. Adequate effectiveness of access to food was considered when the CR served meals to 50% to 70% of the users considered the target audience (individuals served by the two CRs located in the city of Salvador/Bahia/Brazil). The participants (n = 1464; 778 as low-income individuals) were adult CR users from Salvador/Brazil. Most of the respondents were male, 40 to 54 years old, not white, had up to 9 years of formal education, without a partner, and living in the municipality of Salvador. The evaluated CRs are effective in serving 53.1% of the target population in their total service capacity. Meal provision only reached an estimated 0.7% of the socially vulnerable community in the district. The average energy value of the meal served by the CR units was 853.05 kcal/meal, with a mean energy density composition classified as average (1.15 kcal/g). The effectiveness of the evaluated community restaurants showed that these instruments were minimally effective in promoting access to food for the low-income population within their total daily service capacity, and the current quantity of these facilities was insufficient. However, these instruments stand out in the fundamental role of promoting the daily distribution of meals to the Brazilian population with the highest social vulnerability levels.

Zinc supplementation combined with antidepressant drugs for treatment of patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Zinc is an essential trace mineral required for the function of brain and neural structures. The role of zinc supplementation in the prevention and treatment of depression has been suggested in clinical studies that reported a reduction in depressive symptoms. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to determine whether zinc supplementation vs placebo can prevent or improve depressive symptoms in children, adolescents, or adults. DATA SOURCES: Five electronic databases were searched, and studies published until September 2019 were included without language restriction. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized, controlled, crossover trials that evaluated the effect of zinc supplementation vs a comparator for prevention or improvement of depressive symptoms in children, adolescents, or adults were eligible for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently performed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. RESULTS: The initial search identified 12 322 studies, 5 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. The standardized mean difference (SMD) showed an average reduction of 0.36 point (95%CI, -0.67 to -0.04) in the intervention group compared with the placebo group. Forstudies in which the mean age of participants was ≥ 40 years, the SMD was reduced by 0.61 point (95%CI, -1.12 to -0.09) in the intervention group vs the placebo group. The meta-analysis by sample size (< 60 individuals and ≥ 60 individuals) did not show an effect of zinc supplementation in reducing depressive symptoms (SMD -0.28; 95%CI, -0.67 to -0.10; and SMD -0.52; 95%CI, -1.10 to 0.06). CONCLUSION: Zinc supplementation may reduce depressive symptoms in individuals treated with antidepressant drugs for clinical depression. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number CRD42018081691.