Deserts, Swamps and Food Oases: Mapping around the Schools in Bahia, Brazil and Implications for Ensuring Food and Nutritional Security.

Deserts, swamps and food oases terms have been used to characterize the food environment according to the identified food availability. Food swamps are defined as neighborhoods with a predominance of food establishments selling ultra-processed foods compared to establishments selling healthy options. In contrast, food oases are areas with easy access to healthy and nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods. Food deserts describe densely populated urban areas where residents face difficulty obtaining healthy food. In this context, this work aimed to map deserts, swamps, and food oases around federal schools in Bahia, Brazil, emphasizing the importance of implementing the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in these schools, to guarantee food security and nutrition. An ecological study was carried out in all 35 federal schools in Bahia, Brazil, using an 800 m buffer analysis, with the school as the centroid. The geographic coordinates of schools and food establishments were initially obtained using Google Maps and later confirmed onsite. To evaluate food deserts and swamps, the methodology proposed by the CDC was used and the Modified Retail Food Environment Index (mRFEI) was calculated; when the result was equal to zero, the surrounding area was considered a food desert and values between 0.01 and 20 determined food swamps; for values above 20, the neighborhood was classified as mixed. Food oases were considered regions containing at least one supermarket within the analyzed buffer. Descriptive analyses were carried out with frequency measurements, measures of central tendency (mean and median) and dispersion (standard deviation). The food environment of schools was compared considering the number of students impacted, the area where the school was located (urban or rural) and the size of the municipalities. The average number of food establishments found was 22.39 (±13.03), with the highest averages for snack bars (7.33 ± 4.43), grocery stores (5.83 ± 4.09) and restaurants (2.94 ± 2.19). Food deserts and mixed environments were identified in 40% of the sample, while swamps represented 20% and oases 65%. An association was observed between food deserts and social vulnerability, making it necessary to emphasize the importance of adequate implementation of the PNAE in these schools to reduce food and nutritional insecurity, guaranteeing the human right to adequate and healthy food and providing better nutrition and health perspectives within the school environment and impact on students' lives through food and nutrition education actions, which are also part of the context of PNAE activities.

Food Environment around Schools: A Systematic Scope Review.

The present systematic scope review intended to compile state-of-the-art information about the food environment around schools, exploring the main methods used to describe the food environment around schools as well as the possible effects that this environment can promote on the health of children and adolescents. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses-extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and guidelines were followed to ensure a robust and repeatable methodological process. A systematic search was performed in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus, as well as in related articles, a manual search of reference lists and gray literature. Forty-six studies were selected. There was no standardization regarding distances from food establishments to schools, methods of analysis, and software used. The food environment around the schools was characterized by the wide availability of food establishments, especially fast food, convenience stores, supermarkets, and grocery stores known for offering a wide variety of unhealthy foods. Regarding the correlations with the health of children and adolescents, the evidence points to possible interferences of the food environment known as obesogenic, but it cannot be related only to the school environment since most of the acquisition and consumption of food usually happens around family homes. Conducting standardized and comprehensive studies evaluating food choices in the school environment and their interrelationships is very important to ensure children's food and nutrition security and minimize negative health outcomes in the medium and long term.

Malnutrition and cardiovascular risk in haemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease / Desnutrição e risco cardiovascular em pacientes com doença renal crônica em hemodiálise

ABSTRACT Objective To verify the association between nutritional status and traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors in haemodialysis patients. Methods A cross-sectional study with 132 patients over 18 years of age on haemodialysis to evaluate nutritional status through Subjective Global Assessment. Information on traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors were obtained using a structured questionnaire; the Framingham score was also used to assess cardiovascular risk. Data analysis was performed using the Chi-square Test or Fischer Exact Test and a Log-binomial Regression Model. Results Malnutrition affected 31.1% of patients. Among them, a higher percentage of smokers (p=0.016), former smokers (p=0.034) and diabetes Mellitus patients (p=0.001) were detected. Malnutrition was found to be 4.53 times more prevalent in diabetic individuals (95%CI: 1.99-10.27) and 2.26 times more prevalent among former smokers (95%CI: 1.04-4.95). Malnourished individuals exhibited a 4.03 times prevalence of moderate to severe cardiovascular risk. Conclusion A high prevalence of malnutrition and of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease were observed. Such factors included diabetes Mellitus, smoking and former smoker conditions and were associated with malnutrition. Inaddition, it was found that malnourished individuals were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease within 10 years.

RESUMO Objetivo Verificar associação entre estado nutricional e fatores de riscos cardiovasculares tradicionais e não tradicionais em pacientes em hemodiálise. Métodos Estudo transversal com 132 pacientes maiores de 18 anos em hemodiálise, analiando-se o estado nutricional por meio da avaliação subjetiva global. Informações sobre fatores de riscos tradicionais e não tradicionais paradoenças cardiovasculares foram obtidos a partir de questionário estruturado e utilizou-se ainda o Escore de Framingham para avaliar risco cardiovascular. Na análise dos dados foram utilizados o teste Qui-quadrado ou teste Exato de Fischer, e Modelo de Regressão Log-binomial. Resultados A desnutrição estava presente em 31,1% dos indivíduos. Tabagistas (p=0,016), ex-tabagistas (p=0,034) e pessoas com diabetes Mellitus (p=0,001), apresentavam maior percentual de desnutrição. Verificou-se que a desnutriçãoera 4,53 vezes mais prevalente em indivíduos diabéticos (95%CI: 1,99-10,27) e 2,26 vezes mais prevalente entre os ex-tabagistas (95%CI: 1,04-4,95). Indivíduos com desnutrição tinham 4,03 vezes mais prevalência do risco cardiovascular moderado a grave. Conclusão Observou-se uma elevada prevalência da desnutrição e de outros fatores de riscos para doenças cardiovasculares. Dentre esses fatores, convém citar a diabetes Mellitus, o tabagismo e o ex-tabagismo que apresentaramassociação com a desnutrição. Além disso, verificou-se que os indivíduos desnutridos tinham probabilidade maior de desenvolver doença cardiovascular em 10 anos.