Banca de DEFESA: ANA MÁRCIA SOARES FERNANDES XAVIER

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANA MÁRCIA SOARES FERNANDES XAVIER
DATE: 20/03/2025
TIME: 14:30
LOCAL: Sessão pública realizada por videoconferência
TITLE:

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to dietary guide recommendations for the Brazilian population and quality of life for adults and the elderly

KEY WORDS:

Feeding Behavior. Food Guide. COVID-19. Quality of life.

PAGES: 86
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Nutrição
SUMMARY:

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and on 5 May 2023 declared the end of the public health emergency related to the disease. During the pandemic, Brazil adopted social distancing measures to reduce the spread of the new virus. This context triggered changes in the population's dietary practices, both positive and negative. In Brazil, the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population is the document that guides dietary practices, which can influence the perception of each person's quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study is to identify adherence to the Food Guide and its association with quality of life in adults and the elderly, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In both studies, data was collected using a questionnaire on the Epicollect platform5, in the period 2019-2020 in the cross-sectional study and 2023-2024 in the cohort, containing sociodemographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric nutritional status, dietary practices, QOL, and self-reported COVID-19 variables in the cohort. A multidimensional scale was used to analyse adherence to the Food Guide, resulting in the classifications ‘low’, ‘low/medium’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’. QoL was analysed using the WHOQOL-BREF scale. Descriptive analyses were carried out for the quantitative variables and Pearson's chi-square or McNemar's test for the categorical variables. Poisson regression was used in the cross-sectional study to check for associations between independent variables and low QoL. In the cohort, logistic regression was carried out to verify the association between independent variables and worsening QoL. The cross-sectional study found that living in the north and east of Natal-RN and being born female significantly increased the likelihood of low QoL. Those with low (PR = 2.51; 95%CI 1.59-3.96) and medium (PR = 1.58; 95%CI 1.07-2.35) adherence to the Food Guide were also more likely to have low QoL. In the cohort, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in QoL and in the frequency of categories of adherence to the Food Guide between pre- and post-pandemic, but there was a significant difference (increase in the frequency of agreement and decrease in disagreement) in the adoption of undesirable dietary practices (predominantly those involving consumption of ultra-processed foods) between the two moments of the study. After the pandemic, people with per capita income in the 1st tercile and 2nd tercile had a 0.02 chance of worsening their overall QoL (adjusted OR = 0.02; p = 0.003) and (adjusted OR = 0.02; p = 0.004), respectively. In the cross-sectional study, it was concluded that adults and elderly people with low adherence to the Dietary Guidelines have a higher prevalence of low QoL, and in the cohort, the population started to adopt eating habits that can lead to health problems, in addition to per capita income having a significant association with reducing the likelihood of worsening QoL after the pandemic. The findings indicate the need for public policies in the field of nutrition, which in turn reflect on other individual and social aspects.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - KAMILA TIEMANN GABE - USP
Presidente - 2149611 - CLELIA DE OLIVEIRA LYRA
Externa ao Programa - 3061300 - LIGIA REJANE SIQUEIRA GARCIA - nullExterna ao Programa - 2307522 - NILA PATRÍCIA FREIRE PEQUENO - null