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The study's objectives: compare self-report measures of weight and height with direct measures; assess the impact of these discrepancies on body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of overweight and obesity; and apply correction models to the self-report measures and assess the degree of improvement in the corrected measures produced with the use of these models. A cross-sectional study was performed, assessing 4,151 adults (18 to 60 years) participating in the São Paulo Megacity Epidemiological Study. Linear regression models stratified by sex were proposed for correction of self-reported measures. Agreement was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient for the direct measures, self-report measures, and corrected measures, and kappa coefficient for BMI classification categories. Self-reported weight and the resulting BMI were underestimated, while height was overestimated, compared to direct measures. With all the correction models, the corrected measures were closer to the direct measures. Prevalence rates for excess weight, calculated by self-report measures, were underestimated by 24% in men and by 28% in women; with corrections, the underestimation decreased to 8% and 10%, respectively. The results showed moderate agreement for self-report measures and substantial agreement for corrected measures compared to direct measures. The use of correction equations for self-report data proved to be a useful method for producing more trustworthy estimates of prevalence of overweight and obesity in the general population, usually estimated from self-report measures of weight and height in population surveys.

This study evaluated the reproducibility and relative validity of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) used in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Participants (n = 281) completed the FFQ and three food records on two occasions during a 12-month period. Energy and nutrient values from food records were disattenuated and log-transformed. Reproducibility and validity were assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Agreement between the two methods was evaluated by classification in tertiles. In the evaluation of reproducibility, ICC estimated ranged from 0.55 to 0.83 for protein and vitamin E, respectively. On relative validity, ICC ranged from 0.20 to 0.72 for selenium and calcium, respectively. Exact and adjacent agreement between methods varied from 82.9% for vitamin E to 89% for lipids and calcium (mean 86%). Average disagreement was 13.6%. In conclusion, this FFQ showed satisfactory reliability for all nutrients and reasonable validity, especially for energy, macronutrients, calcium, potassium, and vitamins E and C.

The study aimed to identify the simultaneous occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors in children 7 to 10 years of age in Vitória, Espírito Santo State, Brazil, and investigate associated socioeconomic variables. In a sample of 1,282 children, anthropometric data were obtained and blood pressure was measured with an automatic device. Socioeconomic, nutritional, and physical activity data were obtained with a questionnaire. To evaluate the simultaneous occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors, an index was developed including overweight, high blood pressure, poor eating, and sedentary leisure > 4 hours/day. The simultaneous presence of four cardiovascular risk factors was defined as high risk. Socioeconomic status and maternal schooling were included in the logistic regression model. Some 34% of the children presented two cardiovascular risk factors, 20% three factors, and 6.4% four cardiovascular risk factors. Maternal schooling remained associated with high cardiovascular risk (OR: 7.36, 95%CI: 2.09-25.97) and medium risk (OR: 2.57, 95%CI: 1.58-4.20). Low maternal schooling was the most important factor associated with cardiovascular risk.