Health Sciences Research Center, University of Santa Catarina State, Brazil.
Health Sciences Research Center, University of Santa Catarina State, Brazil.
J Pediatr Nurs. 2021 Nov-Dec;61:e106-e111. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2021.06.006. Epub 2021 Jul 31.
Childhood obesity has become a concern for the Brazilian Unified Health System, which has recently started to investigate children's eating habits in basic health units. This study examined the trends and ultra-processed foods (UPF) consumption in Brazilian children.
This repeated cross-sectional study included 492,630 children (2-9 years old), from different Brazilian regions, in the years 2015 and 2019. The children's food consumption was assessed by nurses using a nationally standardized instrument. Information was provided by the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System Brazilian.
The UPF consumption in Brazilian children is generally high and was higher among children in the South and Midwest regions. The consumption of sweetened beverages was more prevalent among all the UPF assessed and continues to increase among children in the Northeast region. Declining trends in UPF consumption were observed in children from all regions, except for the Northeast region, whose trends increased in almost all evaluated foods.
Nurses, especially, have a primary role in guiding the reduction of UPF consumption, as they are the first health professionals to have access to this information. Increasing trends in UPF consumption can be mitigated by the inclusion of nutritionists in basic health units. Brazilian children need to be assisted by public policies that promote food education.
儿童肥胖已成为巴西统一卫生系统关注的问题，该系统最近开始调查基层卫生单位儿童的饮食习惯。本研究调查了巴西儿童的饮食趋势和超加工食品（UPF）消费情况。
本重复横断面研究纳入了来自巴西不同地区、2015 年和 2019 年 2-9 岁的 492630 名儿童。护士使用全国标准化工具评估儿童的食物消费情况。信息由巴西食品和营养监测系统提供。
巴西儿童的 UPF 消费普遍较高，南部和中西部地区的儿童消费更高。在评估的所有 UPF 中，含糖饮料的消费更为普遍，且东北地区儿童的消费持续增加。除东北地区外，所有地区的 UPF 消费均呈下降趋势，而东北地区几乎所有评估食品的消费趋势都在增加。
护士，尤其是基层卫生单位的护士，在指导减少 UPF 消费方面发挥着主要作用，因为他们是最先获得这些信息的卫生专业人员。通过在基层卫生单位增加营养师，可以缓解 UPF 消费的增长趋势。巴西儿童需要通过促进食品教育的公共政策来提供帮助。
