Impactos da COVID-19 no estilo de vida de crianças e adolescentes: uma revisão sistemática latino-americana

The objective of the present study was to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle of children and adolescents in Latin America. This is a systematic review conducted in 2023 following the PRISMA criteria. The review employed a Boolean search strategy across four electronic databases (PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and Scopus), using descriptors related to lifestyle, youth, pandemic, and Latin American countries. The entire screening and data extraction process was carried out by two blinded reviewers using Rayyan and a standardized form. Compilation of the extracted data from the articles allowed for the calculation of frequencies of general characteristics to describe the studies and a narrative of the results. Of the 47 studies included in the review, 62% were from Brazil, 81% were cross-sectional observational studies, and 43% were published in 2022. In the context of COVID-19, the impacts on the lifestyle of children and adolescents in Latin America were related to mental health, sleep quality, screen time, physical activity/exercise, and food security. In this cycle of cause and consequence, remotely guided physical activities have proved important in reducing sedentary behavior, just as the promotion of fresh food can ensure nutrition. These results serve as a warning to help deal with future health emergencies and, at the same time, highlight the need for vigilance regarding the behavior of these young people in relation to the late effects of the pandemic on health behaviors that may persist.O objetivo do presente trabalho foi conhecer os impactos da pandemia da COVID-19 no estilo de vida de crianças e adolescentes da América Latina. Trata-se de uma revisão sistemática, realizada em 2023 de acordo com os critérios PRISMA, conduzida por uma estratégia de busca booleana em quatro bancos de dados eletrônicos (PubMed, SciELO, LILACS e Scopus), com o uso dos descritores em blocos do estilo de vida, jovens, pandemia e países latino-americanos. Todo o processo de triagem e extração dos dados foi realizado por dois revisores em cegamento, por meio do Rayyan e de um formulário padronizado. A compilação dos dados extraídos dos artigos permitiu o cálculo de frequências das características gerais para descrição dos estudos e uma narrativa dos resultados. Dos 47 estudos incluídos na revisão, 62% foram brasileiros, 81% observacionais transversais e 43% publicados em 2022. Diante da COVID-19, os impactos no estilo de vida de crianças e adolescentes da América Latina estavam relacionados a saúde mental e qualidade de sono, tempo de tela, atividade/exercício físico e segurança alimentar. Neste ciclo de causa e consequência, as atividades físicas remotamente orientadas se mostraram importantes para reduzir o sedentarismo, assim como a promoção de alimentos in natura pode assegurar a alimentação. Esses resultados servem de alerta para auxiliar no enfrentamento de futuras emergências sanitárias e ao mesmo tempo, destacam a necessidade da vigilância quanto ao comportamento desses jovens em relação aos efeitos tardios da pandemia sobre os comportamentos de saúde que podem perdurar

Networking and Participatory Research Promoting Quality of Life and Well-Being in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries

Spread across the planet each human being, individually or in community, aspires for well-being and quality of life, according to the ideal of each one. However, we all believe that there are always ways to live better. For many people the measurement of a better life translates into the guarantee of social rights, the right to basic services, good land, seed and sufficient nutritious food for their community members. The Mechanism to Facilitate the Participation of Universities in the Food and Nutrition Security Council of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries is a cooperative academic network fomented by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This mechanism works with teaching, research and extension in the CPLP Food and Nutrition Security Strategy. The pillars of CPLP Strategy are the strengthening of the governance of public policies on Food and Nutrition Security at all levels of government, social protection based on guaranteeing access to food and family farming with a strategy to increase the availability of good quality food, promoting social and environmental sustainability. CPLP University Mechanism has provided training processes for technicians who work in public policies for Food and Nutrition Security and has contributed to the strengthening of postgraduate programs in Portuguese-speaking African countries. As consequence, it has favored participatory research and mixed methods as a theoretical methodological approach. Therefore, it seeks to focus on the territories of Food and Nutrition Security practices to transform reality, as recommended by CPLP Strategy, however, with the autonomous assumptions of the collaborative network. This chapter presents how local researchers perceive the results of a process of inducing an academic network to transform the local reality and promote Food and Nutrition Security in the context of the CPLP