Quality of life prior and in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic : a nationwide cross-sectional study with Brazilian dietitians

This nationwide cross-sectional research aimed to evaluate Brazilian dietitians’ quality of life prior and in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, using a previously validated self-administered instrument WHO-QOL-BREF in Brazilian-Portuguese. Other sociodemographic variables and three questions about the COVID-19 pandemic period were included, and the instrument was applied using GoogleForms®. Paired T-test, Chi-squared test, and Analysis of Variance were used for statistical analysis. A total of 1290 Brazilian dietitians replied the instrument. QoL before SARS-COV-2 (3.83±0.59) was statistically different from during the pandemic (3.36±0.66). Comparing prior and in course of the COVID-19 pandemic, all variables and domains presented statistical diferences (better before the pandemic period). The second domain (psychological health) was the most affected among Brazilian dietitians. The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic was associated with a negative impact on QoL of Brazilian dietitians, health professionals that faced changes in different areas of their lives

Self-service restaurants in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the self-service restaurant sector, as well as other types of food services, are facing an unprecedented crisis needing to adapt their service to avoid closing their doors. With varied and quick meals, the self-service buffet is one of the most important types of outside services. However, the type of service where the clients follow a line on the buffet and serve their meals has impaired traditional restaurant operation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and, perhaps, after it. In this sense, this study presents an overview of the self-service buffet restaurant operational system in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Good Practices in Home Kitchens: Construction and Validation of an Instrument for Household Food-Borne Disease Assessment and Prevention

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate Brazilian home kitchens’ good practices. We elaborated on the preliminary version of the check-list based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216), Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and Codex Alimentarius. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of food contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimum of five out of seven of agreement among the experts (W-values ≥ 0.7). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥3 for the evaluation of importance (content validation) and clarity (semantic evaluation) to be maintained in the instrument. After the expert phase, we conducted another semantic evaluation of the check-list with a focus group composed of 13 undergraduate students, one moderator, and one observer of the process, to evaluate each item regarding its clarity, considering their level of understanding of the item. The final version of the check-list was composed of 77 items, divided into four blocks. The check-list developed was validated with respect to content with a W-value of 0.86 and approved in the semantic evaluation

Food Environment around Schools: A Systematic Scope Review

The present systematic scope review intended to compile state-of-the-art information about the food environment around schools, exploring the main methods used to describe the food environment around schools as well as the possible effects that this environment can promote on the health of children and adolescents. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses—extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and guidelines were followed to ensure a robust and repeatable methodological process. A systematic search was performed in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus, as well as in related articles, a manual search of reference lists and gray literature. Forty-six studies were selected. There was no standardization regarding distances from food establishments to schools, methods of analysis, and software used. The food environment around the schools was characterized by the wide availability of food establishments, especially fast food, convenience stores, supermarkets, and grocery stores known for offering a wide variety of unhealthy foods. Regarding the correlations with the health of children and adolescents, the evidence points to possible interferences of the food environment known as obesogenic, but it cannot be related only to the school environment since most of the acquisition and consumption of food usually happens around family homes. Conducting standardized and comprehensive studies evaluating food choices in the school environment and their interrelationships is very important to ensure children’s food and nutrition security and minimize negative health outcomes in the medium and long term

Brazilian Foodborne Disease National Survey: Evaluating the Landscape after 11 Years of Implementation to Advance Research, Policy, and Practice in Public Health

The poor control of public and private agencies regarding the quality of foods offered to populations has a significant impact on the occurrence of foodborne diseases. Precise information about foodborne diseases (FBD) can adequately inform policy-makers and help to allocate appropriate resources for the control of food safety. This study aimed to evaluate the Brazilian foodborne disease landscape after 11 years of implementation of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Foodborne Diseases. The study analyzed secondary data from the National System of Injuries and Notifications (SINAN-NET), available from the Health Department. We evaluated the characteristics of FBD, such as the food involved, the location of ingestion, the total time to the outcome investigation, the microorganism involved and deaths. We also calculated the global incidence, mortality and lethality rates of the country. There were 7630 FBD outbreaks in the National Epidemiological Surveillance System of Foodborne Diseases (VE-DTA). Of the registered reports, a total of 134,046 individuals were sick with FBD; 19,394 were hospitalized, and there were 127 registered deaths. We found a coefficient of incidence of FBD of 67.57 per 100,000 inhabitants; a mortality coefficient of 0.06 per 100,000 inhabitants and lethality of 0.09% over the 11 years investigated. Data are probably underreported since the VE-DTA system lacks completeness, and because FBD symptoms are mostly mild, a large part of the population does not seek care from health services

Food Insecurity among Low-Income Food Handlers: A Nationwide Study in Brazilian Community Restaurants

This study aims to evaluate food insecurity (FI) among Brazilian Community restaurant food handlers and its associated factors. This cross-sectional study was performed with a representative sample of 471 food handlers working in community restaurants (CR) from all Brazilian regions. Participants are mostly female (62.2%), ≤40 years old (67.7%), with a partner (52.0%), and with up to eight years of education (54.1%). Predictors of participants’ socioeconomic status and CR geographic location are associated with the household food insecurity categories (p < 0.05). The predictors of socioeconomic conditions are associated with mild and moderate/severe FI category. Workers with less education are twice as likely to belong to the category with the highest FI severity. Lower per capita household income increased the chances of belonging to the mild insecurity category by 86%. It more than doubled the chance to be in the category of moderate/severe insecurity. Predictors of health status, lifestyle, and work are not associated with any multinomial outcome categories. However, working in the South, Southeast, or Midwest regions of Brazilian decreased the chances of belonging to one of the FI categories, with significance only for the mild category. Variables that show an association for this population are per capita household income for the different levels of FI and the CR region for mild FI. A high prevalence of FI in this population points to the need for more studies with low-income workers to prevent FI and its health consequences