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.

Utilização prévia de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides por pacientes encaminhados para endoscopia em um hospital universitário brasileiro / Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by patients before undergoing to endoscopy in a Brazilian university hospital

O estudo teve como objetivo descrever o padrão de uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides (AINE) por pacientes encaminhados para endoscopia digestiva alta no Hospital das Clínicas/UFMG, Belo Horizonte/MG. Trata-se de um estudo transversal de uma amostra de 533 pacientes com idade igual ou superior a 17 anos, com endoscopia previamente marcada. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário padronizado. As variáveis estudadas foram relativas aos antiinflamatórios não-esteróidese ao seu modo de uso. Cerca de 34% dos entrevistados relatou uso de AINE no período de um mês anterior à endoscopia. Os AINE mais utilizados foram o ácido acetilsalicílico e o diclofenaco e o uso caracterizou-se, principalmente, pela forma esporádica e por período inferior a sete dias. Entre os AINE que foram utilizados por período prolongado, foram mais frequentes o uso em dose diária elevada e o uso de mais de uma especialidade. Evidenciou-se um cenário de utilização inadequada destes medicamentos entre os pacientes estudados, caracterizado pelo uso de especialidades desaconselhadas, uso de AINE em indicações inadequadas, uso de associações medicamentos as questionáveis e uso desnecessário de especialidades dispendiosas em detrimento daquelas seguras e mais acessíveis. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de estudos adicionais, a fim de maior aprofundamento no conhecimento dessa questão no Brasil.

The objective of this study was to describe the pattern of use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among patients referred for upper endoscopy at the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This cross-sectional survey included 533 patients, aged 17 or older, whose endoscopies had been previously scheduled. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data, which related to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs taken and the way in which they were used. Almost 34% of the interviewed subjects reported having taken NSAIDs during the month prior to the endoscopy. The NSAIDs used most were acetylsalicylic acid and diclofenac and their pattern of use was characterized, in the main, by sporadic use over a period of less than seven days. Among the NSAIDs taken for long periods of time (> 30 dias), a commonly observed pattern was high daily doses and more than one kind of drug. The general picture that emerged was of inappropriate use of these medicines among the studied patients, typically the use of non-recommended types of drug, inappropriate use of NSAIDs for certain conditions, use of questionable drug combinations and the unnecessary use of expensive drugs despite the availability of safer and cheaper alternatives. The results point to the need to carry out more research, to improve our understanding of this question in Brazil.

Perfil de utilização de fitoterápicos em farmácias comunitárias de Belo Horizonte sob a influência da legislação nacional / Profile of the utilization of phytotherapie medicines in communitary pharmacies of Belo Horizonte, under the influence of the national legislation

Um panorama do consumo de fitoterápicos em farmácias comunitárias de Belo Horizonte (MG) é utilizado neste artigo como instrumento para analisar a influência da legislação nacional sobre este mercado. Para tal, foram entrevistados indivíduos que adquiriram fitoterápicos nos estabelecimentos farmacêuticos visitados. Observa-se que, na mesma nação detentora da maior biodiversidade do planeta e privilegiada por uma cultura popular conhecedora das propriedades terapêuticas das plantas, existe uma tendência de mercado para a utilização de plantas exóticas, oriundas de países desenvolvidos. A influência da legislação brasileira de fitoterápicos, que prima pela qualidade, eficácia e segurança desses medicamentos, mas que, ao mesmo tempo, tende a proscrever as drogas nativas que fazem parte da medicina popular brasileira, é discutida nesse trabalho. Verifica-se, assim, a pertinência de se discutir o perfil de usuário de fitoterápicos à luz das normas de registro desses fármacos no país no campo da saúde pública, tendo em vista que essa legislação repercute nas estratégias e/ou empecilhos para aumentar o acesso a medicamentos pela população.

An overview of the herbal drugs consumption in communitarian pharmacies in Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil is used in this article as a tool to analyze the influence of the national law over this market. In order to reach this goal, individuals that had bought herbal drugs were interviewed at the pharmacies. It was observed that, in the same nation that has the highest biodiversity in the planet and is privileged by a popular culture knowledgeable in the therapeutic properties of the plants, there is a tendency in the market for the use of exotic plants, coming from developed countries. The influence of the Brazilian law about the herbal drugs, which constantly worries about the quality, efficiency and safety of these medicines, but at the same time, tends to proscribe the native drugs that are part of the popular medicine, is discussed in this assignment. It is concluded that it is pertinent to discuss the profile of the herbal drugs users in the spot of the laws of the country related to these drugs, in the field of the public health, since this legislation is reflected in the strategies and/or barriers to increase the access to the drugs by the population.