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- Child’s food consumption and physical exercise: results from a Portuguese descriptive studyPublication . Marques, Goreti; Festas, Constança; Fernandes, Carla Sílvia; Simões, Daniela; Ferreira, Fátima; Pinto, Sara; Jorge, Áurea; Ferreira, GustavoAims: To describe food consumption in Portuguese primary school children, to analyze the influence of food consumption on the body mass index (BMI), and to analyze the relationship between physical exercise and the child's food consumption. Method: A quantitative, descriptive, exploratory, and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 primary schools of the north of Portugal (n = 109 child). The use of a food register for 5 consecutive days and anthropometric evaluation of the children were used. Results: The vast majority of children had a normal weight (65.10%). However, 34.90% of the children presented significant changes in their BMI (14.70% with low weight, 11.90% overweight, and 8.30% with obesity). Children who engage in physical activity drink more water and consume less sugary products. However, they also consume less meat, fish, and eggs than those who do not perform regular physical activity. Conclusions: The study highlights the emergence of new problems, such as the increasing prevalence of underweight children. The prevention of these problems, overweight, or underweight children, should be addressed among healthcare providers, local authorities, families, and teachers.
- Childhood obesity and reduction of hours of sleep: results from cross-sectional studyPublication . Marques, Goreti; Matos, Maria; Afonso, Claúdia; Conceição, Ana Paula da; Martins, Tânia; Pinto, Sara; Festas, Constança; Pinheiro, Ana RitaChildhood obesity is a prevalent condition in modern societies which can negatively impact people’s health during life. Although there are several factors contributing to obesity, sleep duration has been pointed out as an important risk factor. This study, held in the district of Porto, Portugal, aimed to analyze the association between sleep duration and the nutritional status of school-aged children studying in Portugal. 1396 students from 35 and 3 public and private schools, respectively, were contacted, of which 829 participated in this study (9.2±0.38 years old; 50.3% male; 49.7% female). Age, sex, sleep duration, height, weight and body composition were registered trough a questionnaire. According to the obtained z-score for Body Mass Index (BMI), 22.9% of the children were overweight and 15.2% were obese. The mean of sleep duration was 9.7±1.08 hours and z-score for BMI was 0.78±1.21, demonstrating a statistically significant (p<0.01) weak negative correlation (r=-0.15) between sleep duration and z-score of BMI. Results were also stratified and analyzed by sex, and the same finding was observed. Therefore, the results suggest a negative association between sleep duration and overweight/obesity in these children. Although more studies are necessary, this finding highlights the need of a global approach which includes sleep assessment and counselling when promoting an appropriate nutritional status.
- Integrative review on dietary assessment instruments in school-age childrenPublication . Fernandes, Carla Sílvia; Marques, Goreti; Ferreira, Fátima; Festas, Constança; Silva, CristianeInformation on a population’s dietary intake enables the identification of individuals who are at nutritional risk. The objective of the present study was to identify and analyze existing dietary assessment instruments in school-age children. An integrative review was carried out from 2010 to 2016. For analysis, nine articles were selected according to established inclusion criteria. These enabled the organization of the results into two thematic areas: dietary assessment instruments and limitations in the use of instruments. The most used instrument was the 24-hour dietary recall. The results showed the need for more comprehensive instruments in order to deal with limitations of current instruments in use.