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Objective: To explore the internal structure and analyze evidence of measurement invariance of the Sisvan form of food intake markers of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sisvan) for children aged six to 23 months., Methods: Sisvan microdata from 2015 to 2019 were used. After analyzing sample adequacy, exploratory factor analysis was carried out considering factor loadings (≥ 0.30 and < 0.85), communality (> 0.20), model fit indices - Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) > 0.90, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.08. A critical analysis of the form items was performed to adjust the parameters. Measurement stability was investigated between age groups, macro-regions and longitudinally by multi-group confirmatory factor analysis in configural, metric, and scalar invariance models. Configural invariance was accepted if RMSEA < 0.08 and TLI and comparative fit index (CFI) > 0.90. Metric and scalar invariances were accepted if ΔRMSEA < 0.015 and ΔCFI < 0.01, compared to the previous model., Results: After critical analysis, items were grouped (vegetables and leafy greens; meat or eggs and liver) and excluded (salty food; porridge with milk; rice, potatoes, yams, cassava, flour, or pasta). The exploratory model comprised three factors: healthy complementary feeding (fruit; vegetables; orange or dark green leafy vegetables or fruits; meat, offal, or egg; beans), ultra-processed (yogurt; hamburger and/or sausages; sweetened drinks; instant noodles, packet snacks, or salty cookies; sandwich cookies, sweets, or treats), and milk feeding (breast milk; other milk), with satisfactory factor loadings, communalities and fit (TLI: 0.918, RMSEA: 0.071). The reformulated instrument was stable in the invariance models tested., Conclusions: With the incorporation of the modifications to the Sisvan form, the food intake markers subsidize a more adequate interpretation of the feeding situation of children aged six to 23 months.

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women globally. Vitamin D has been considered a protective factor; however, its relationship with any aspect of the disease remains controversial., Methods: A cross-sectional, single-center clinical study was conducted between 2015 and 2018, including 141 women diagnosed with BC and 239 women in the control group, with mean ages of 43.1 and 41.7 years, respectively ( p = 0.103). Serum levels of vitamin D and lipid profile were measured. Clinical and nutritional data were obtained through interviews and medical records., Results: The vitamin D dosage presented an average value of 25.5 ng/mL and 31.0 ng/mL in the case and control groups, respectively ( p < 0.001). The vitamin D cut-off point for discriminating the presence of BC was 27.45 ng/mL. Additionally, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher in the case group (121.4 mg/dL) compared to the control group (110.7 mg/dL) ( p = 0.002), whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in the case group (47.6 mg/dL) compared to the control group (53.3 mg/dL) ( p = 0.001). Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (2.7 vs. 5.3 doses/day; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: The results indicate a significant association between lower vitamin D levels and BC, persisting after multivariate analysis ( p < 0.001). These findings could inform prevention strategies, highlighting the importance of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels and potentially identifying a risk group., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To investigate the performance of food consumption markers of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sisvan) in assessing the overall dietary quality., Methods: The study was carried out based on the reproduction of responses to markers in 24-hour recall data from 46,164 individuals aged ≥ 10 years, from the 2017-2018 Household Budget Survey (POF). Seven Sisvan markers were evaluated, and two scores were calculated for each participant, based on the sum of the number of healthy food markers (beans, fruits, and vegetables, ranging from 0 to 3) and unhealthy (hamburgers/sausages, sweetened beverages, instant noodles/salt snacks/crackers, stuffed cookies/sweets/candies, ranging from 0 to 4) consumed. Linear regression analyses were used to assess the association between scores and diet quality indicators (ultra-processed foods, dietary diversity, and levels of saturated and trans fat, added sugar, sodium, potassium, and fiber in the diet)., Results: The score of healthy eating markers increased significantly with increasing dietary diversity and potassium and fiber contents in the diet, while the opposite trend was observed for the densities of added sugar, sodium, saturated and trans fat (p < 0.001). The score of unhealthy eating markers increased significantly with the increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods and densities of added sugar, saturated and trans fat levels in the diet, while an inverse trend was observed for potassium and fiber (p < 0.001). The joint analysis of the combination of the two marker scores showed that individuals with better performance (3 in the healthy food score, and 0 in the unhealthy food score) have a lower number of inadequacies in nutrient consumption., Conclusion: Sisvan food consumption markers, quickly and easily applied and already incorporated into the Brazilian public health system, have good potential to reflect the overall dietary quality.

Objective: To characterize the internal structure of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sisvan) form of food intake markers for individuals over 2 years of age and to investigate measurement invariance between Brazilian macro-regions, life stages and over the years., Methods: A parallel analysis with factor estimation was carried out, complemented with exploratory factor analysis using all Sisvan records with valid responses in the country in 2015 (n = 298,253). Only the first record per individual was considered. Next, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate configural, metric and scalar invariance between the five macro-regions (Midwest, Northeast, North, Southeast, South) and life stages (children, adolescents, adults, elderly) in the same reference year. Invariance was evaluated longitudinally using valid individual records from 2015 to 2019 (n = 4,578,960). The adequacy of fit indices was observed at each step., Results: Acceptable fit indices and adequate factor loadings were found for a two-dimensional model, which grouped ultra-processed foods (factor 1) and unprocessed or minimally processed foods (factor 2). The two-dimensional structure, with the respective items in each factor underlying the set of markers, was equivalent across macro-regions, life stages and longitudinally, confirming the configural invariance. The weights of each item and its scale were homogeneous for all groups of interest, confirming metric and scalar invariances., Conclusions: The internal structure of the Sisvan form of food intake markers adequately reflected its conceptual foundation, with stability of factors related to healthy and unhealthy eating in configuration, weights and scale in the investigated categories. These findings qualify food and nutritional surveillance actions, enhancing the use of Sisvan food intake markers in research, monitoring, individual guidance, and care production in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Background: Diet quality is associated with psychobiological, psychological, biological, and physiological factors of individuals, and in the context of prolonged stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it can lead to a worsening of the quality of food for undergraduates. This study aimed to analyze diet quality and associated factors in Brazilian undergraduates., Methods: Data were collected from 4,799 undergraduate students from all Brazilian regions, from August 2020 to February 2021. The online questionnaire contained socioeconomic variables, the ESQUADA scale to assess diet quality, self-referred changes in weight, the Brazilian food insecurity scale (EBIA), sleep assessment and the perceived stress scale. Unconditional multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to study variables associated with poor and very poor diet quality., Results: Most of participants presented a good diet quality (51.7%), while 9.8% had a poor or very poor diet quality and only 1.1% had an excellent diet quality. 58.2% of undergraduates reported to have an increase in weight during the pandemic and 74.3% of the students presented elevated stress during the pandemic. Logistic regressions showed students who gained weight during the pandemic presented the highest AOR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.12-2.20) for poor or very poor diet quality. The elevated perceived stress was also associated with a higher AOR = 2.85 (95% CI = 1.71-4.74) for poor or very poor diet quality., Conclusion: Most of the studied undergraduates presented a good diet quality. Nevertheless, poor/very poor diet quality was associated with higher perceived stress and weight gain. Our study indicated that policies should beaimed at the socioeconomically most vulnerable undergraduates, those in a situation of food and nutritional insecurity, high perceived stress, and who gained weight during the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Galvão, Santos, Slater, Lyra, Rolim, Ramalho, Dalamaria, Martins,Höfelmann, Crispim, Gorgulho, Rodrigues, Marchioni and Maciel.)

Objective:  To develop and validate a protocol for the use of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population (DGBP) in the individual dietary advice for pregnant women assisted in primary healthcare (PHC)., Methods:  Methodological study that involved the elaboration of a protocol in six steps: definition of the format, definition of the instrument to evaluate food consumption, systematization of evidence on food and nutrition needs of pregnant women, extraction of DGBP recommendations, development of messages of dietary guidelines and content, and face validity. The analyses of the validation steps were carried out by calculating the Content Validity Index (CVI) and thematic content analysis., Results:  As products of the steps, the protocol structure was defined and the dietary advice for pregnant women were elaborated, considering physiological changes, food consumption, nutritional and health needs, and socioeconomic conditions of this population. The protocol was well evaluated by experts and health professionals in terms of clarity, relevance (CVI > 0.8), and applicability. In addition, the participants made some suggestions to improve the clarity of the messages and to expand the applicability of the instrument with Brazilian pregnant women., Conclusion:  The instrument developed fills a gap in clinical protocols on dietary advice for pregnant women focused on promoting a healthy diet, contributing to a healthy pregnancy. In addition, it demonstrates potential to contribute to the qualification of PHC professionals and to the implementation of the DGBP recommendations., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is a rare inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) more frequent in women and Afro-descendants. No previous epidemiological or prognostic study has been conducted in the region of the state of Bahia, Brazilian Northeast., Objective: To evaluate clinical and prognostic aspects in patients with NMOSD from a cohort in northeastern Brazil., Material and Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted with consecutive patients diagnosed with NMOSD. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics were described. The degree of disability was expressed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Worsening disability were analyzed through negative binomial regression adjusted for disease duration., Results: Ninety-one patients were included, 72 (79.1%) female and 67 (73.6%) afro descendants. Mean age at onset was 36 (± 14) years and 73.3% were anti-aquaporin-4 antibody positive. Isolated transverse myelitis (32.9%) and isolated optic neuritis (22.4%) were the most frequent initial clinical syndromes. After multivariate analysis, optic neuritis (RR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.23 - 0.88; p = 0.020) and dyslipidemia (RR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20 - 0.83; p = 0.014) were associated with slower disease progression. Area postrema involvement (RR = 6.70; 95% CI = 3.31 - 13.54; p < 0.001) and age at onset (RR = 1.03; 95% CI = 1.01 - 1.05; p = 0.003) were associated with faster disease progression., Conclusions: In the first clinical and prognostic study in northeastern Brazil, we identified area postrema involvement, age at onset, optic neuritis at fist syndrome and dyslipidemia as the main prognostic factors associated with disease progression., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

To describe the methodology of development of a protocol for application of the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines by primary healthcare professionals in individual dietary advice. A five-step approach was followed: (1) format definition; (2) definition of the instrument for assessment of individuals' food consumption; (3) Dietary Guidelines' content extraction; (4) protocol content development; (5) content and face validity. An example from Brazil was displayed with the development of a protocol to guide healthcare professional decision-making when providing nutrition advice based on the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines. The instrument of the Brazilian Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) was chosen to the food consumption assessment, which contains questions about the consumption of seven healthy or unhealthy food groups and one question about eating modes. The Guidelines' content extraction process led to the identification of recommendations related to the food consumption markers assessed by the SISVAN questionnaire. Then, a protocol was developed in a flowchart format, in which the professional's conduct is guided by the answer given to each question of the SISVAN instrument. For each 'non-compliant' answer (unhealthy eating practice), the professional is instructed how to provide recommendations and identify obstacles. Lastly, experts and healthcare professionals highlighted pertinence, clarity and usability of the protocol. This study provides the blueprint for the phase-wise development of protocols of application of the Dietary Guidelines and may contribute to promote healthier eating and ending malnutrition in all its forms., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Undergraduates may face challenges to assure food security, related to economic and mental distress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess food insecurity and its associated factors in undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2020 to February 2021 with 4775 undergraduates from all Brazilian regions. The questionnaire contained socio-economic variables, the validated Brazilian food insecurity scale, and the ESQUADA scale to assess diet quality. The median age of the students was 22.0 years, and 48.0% reported income decreasing with the pandemic. Food insecurity was present in 38.6% of the students, 4.5% with severe food insecurity and 7.7% moderate. Logistic regressions showed students with brown and black skin color/race presented the highest OR for food insecurity; both income and weight increase or reduction during the pandemic was also associated with a higher OR for food insecurity, and better diet quality was associated with decreased OR for food insecurity. Our study showed a considerable presence of food insecurity in undergraduates. Policy for this population must be directed to the most vulnerable: those with brown and black skin color/race, who changed income during the pandemic, and those presented with difficulties maintaining weight and with poor diet quality.

The evaluation of the National School Food Program (PNAE) is a strategic action to ensure the quality of management. This study aims to develop and validate an instrument of performance indicators to assess the management of the PNAE in the national context. A psychometric study was carried out for the development and validation of performance indicators. Twelve indicators were subsequently established and evaluated by an expert panel concerning seven attributes. The Delphi technique was used for the consensus of the expert panel, and the content validity of the indicators was analyzed with the Content Validity Ratio. Nutritionists working on the implementation of the PNAE assessed the relevance of the indicators by answering an online questionnaire to construct validity and reliability. Thirteen (43.3%, 13/30) experts participated in the Delphi round 1 and nine (69.2%, 9/13) completed the Delphi round 2. A new indicator was developed after the experts' suggestions. Furthermore, 281 nutritionists participated in this study assessing the relevance of the indicators. Overall, content and construct validity were achieved for 13 indicators. All were considered relevant and had the potential to promote the assessment of PNAE operational management.

Objective: Assess two validity evidences of the diet quality scale (ESQUADA) for the selection of items with better discrimination of the Brazilians' diet quality and propose a description in score levels., Methods: Brazilian adolescents and adults residing in the country (n = 2,059) answered an online questionnaire with 52 items, shared on social networks and email lists between March and April 2018. Statistical tests were applied to analyze the validity and reliability of the instrument's evidence. Factor analysis was applied to study the dimensionality of the questionnaire items. Item response theory was applied to identify the discrimination and location of items on the continuum, construct the scale and assess the differential item functioning in terms of sex and age., Results: Among the 52 items of the questionnaire, 25 had greater measurement accuracy, with adequate adjustment and reliability. The item on the habit of eating ultra-processed foods at home showed the best discrimination of diet quality. No item showed differential functioning regarding sex and age. In the construction of the ESQUADA, five diet quality levels were identified: very poor, poor, good, very good and excellent. It was observed that while breakfast cereals and/or cereal bars are more frequently consumed by individuals with "very poor" diet quality; nuts and/or walnuts are most often consumed by those individuals with "excellent" diet quality., Conclusion: The ESQUADA consists of 25 precise items with no differential functioning to assess the quality of Brazilians' diet. The construction of the ESQUADA made it possible to recognize food consumption and dietary practices characteristic of each level of diet quality.

This article aims to identify studies that developed quality indicator for the management of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE, in Brazilian context) and to critically appraise the properties of their instruments. Systematic review using Scopus, Lilacs, Pubmed and Web of Science for data collection. The search was limited to studies between 2009 and 2019. The search strategy included search terms related to school feeding, program evaluation, and indicator. The indicators were evaluated using the Appraisal of Indicators through Research and Evaluation instrument. The search identified 1,355 studies, of which 14 were potentially relevant records and 10 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies used a literature review with consensus techniques in the development of the instrument and a frame work format to evaluate the PNAE. None of them presented evidence of validity of the instrument. The highest level was achieved on the domain 'Purpose, relevance and organizational context', followed by 'Stakeholder involvement', 'Additional evidence, formulation and usage', and 'Scientific evidence'. This review found gaps in the methodology of studies that had developed quality indicators for the management of PNAE. Future development of these instruments should include validity evidence.

Objective: To analyze the association between diet quality assessed with the Diet Quality Scale (ESQUADA) and the nutritional status and metabolic risk in adults., Methods: The data included 1,147 adults aged 20 to 59, from the population-based study with complex sampling. Weight, height, tricipital (TSF) and subscapular (SSF) skinfolds, and waist (WC) and mid-arm (MAC) circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were calculated. Nutritional status and metabolic risk were classified considering BMI and WC values, respectively. Diet quality was assessed with ESQUADA. Data were collected at household using the Epicollect5 application. Diet quality (in scores) was analyzed as continuous data and later categorized. The confidence interval was used for comparison between groups, Fisher's exact test for an association study. Adjusted multiple linear regression models were also estimated. P < 0.05 was adopted for statistical significance., Results: Overweight prevailed in 60.33% of individuals, especially among women (60.73%). High or very high metabolic risk was more frequent among women with "very good or excellent" diet quality. Higher diet quality score was associated with a reduction in TSF (β = -0.07; 95%CI -0.13 - -0.01) and an increase in MAMC (β = 0.09; 95%CI 0.00 - 0,18) in men and the reduction in weight (β = -0.04; 95%CI -0.07 - -0.01), SSF (β = -0.07; 95%CI -0.13 - -0,00) and WC in women (β = -0.06; 95%CI -0.09 - -0.02)., Conclusion: A better diet quality is positively associated with lean mass in men, and negatively with fat mass in men and women.

Violence is a global public health problem and may be of a physical, sexual, or psychological nature, or due to negligence. In order to evaluate this situation, instruments are needed that can assess this widely diverse scenario. The scope of this research was to develop a scale to evaluate intra-family and school violence. In this study, the questionnaire on violence proposed by the World Health Organization and included in the Health and Nutrition Monitoring System - Nutrition of Students, was used. The questionnaire was applied to adolescents of both sexes, enrolled in public schools in the city of Piracicaba, Brazil, in 2014. The gradual response model of the Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to create the scale and analyze the questions contained in the questionnaire. The scale presented more precise information for levels of above average violence, implying greater applicability for populations at risk of intra-family and school violence. The use of the scale is proposed as a new approach to assess intra-family and school violence in future studies.

Objective: To develop a scale to assess health motivation influencing food choices and to explore its performance in the associations with food intakes and nutritional biomarkers., Design: Psychometric study using cross-sectional self-report questionnaires and nutritional biomarkers., Setting: Multi-centre investigation conducted in ten European cities., Participants: 2954 adolescents who were included in the HELENA study and completed the Food Choices and Preferences (FCP) questionnaire., Results: Nineteen out of 124 items of the FCP questionnaire were in the same dimension. Sixteen presented adequate parameters for the Scale of evaluatiOn of Food choIcEs (SOFIE). The scores were positively associated with the intakes of cereals, dairy products, meats and eggs, and fish, as well as with blood concentrations of vitamin C, β-carotene, n-3 fatty acids, cobalamin, holo-transcobalamin and folate; scores were negatively associated with the intake of alcohol., Conclusions: SOFIE can improve the assessment of motivation influencing food choices based on items with the best performance and is proposed as a new measure to health-related studies.

This study aimed to validate a short version of the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS-s). To this end, 2,902 adult individuals answered the original DEAS and informed age, weight, and height. Data were analyzed using the full-information factor analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis. Exclusion criteria retained items with adequate values of commonality and factor loadings. Estimation of IRT parameters, the Item Characteristic Curve (ICC), and test information guided the selection of the best quality items. The final model adjustment was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMSR), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI). The eating attitudes on each level of DEAS-s were described. The analyses were performed on R software and Microsoft Excel version 2013. As results, six items were excluded because of the low communalities and factor loadings, and one more was excluded because of an overlapping on the ICC. The remaining 17 items explained 0.53 of the total variance and had an adequate goodness-of-fit (RMSEA = 0.05; SRMSR = 0.05; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98). The information test is more accurate between the scores 0 and +3. Scores higher or equal to 1.5 identified individuals with disordered eating attitudes. Women, older individuals, and those with a higher body mass index presented more disordered eating; thus, the one-dimensional and short version of DEAS showed a suitable adjustment and may contribute to properly evaluate disordered eating in diverse populations.