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Obesity has a multifactorial origin. Among the behavioural risk factors, excessive consumption of unhealthy foods, skipping breakfast and reduced physical activity stand out. The main objective of this article was to identify trends in dietary habits and their association with overweight/obesity over a 12-year period in schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. A cross-sectional panel analysis study, using anthropometric, sociodemographic, physical activity and food consumption data of schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years, collected in three waves of the Study of Prevalence of Obesity in Children and Adolescents (EPOCA), carried out during the years 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019, was performed. To analyse the trend in dietary variables over the years, the 95% CIs were compared with the non-overlap of intervals indicating statistical significance. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to test the association of weight status with dietary markers. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 34.4%, 37.2% and 34.2% in 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019, respectively, and there were no statistically significant differences among waves. There was a progressive and significant reduction in the consumption of soft drinks and sweets and in eating breakfast by schoolchildren, from 2007 to 2019. Breakfast consumption was inversely associated with the chance of overweight/obesity (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59-0.93), and female students were less likely to have overweight/obesity when compared to boys (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61-0.81). The reduction in the consumption of soft drinks and sweets over the years might be caused by efforts in public policies that intended to reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods among schoolchildren. The progressive and significant reduction in having breakfast should be better elucidated in future studies, to minimise the potential impact of this practice on schoolchildren's bodyweight., (© 2024 British Nutrition Foundation.)

The scope of this article is to investigate the association between the source of snacks consumed in schools, their nutritional value and overweight/obesity. It involved a cross-sectional study with 3,930 schoolchildren aged between 7 and10 in the state of Santa Catarina. Food consumption in the school was assessed with an illustrated 24-hour dietary recall and the source of snacks was investigated by structured interview. Soft drinks and artificial fruit juices, fried and processed snacks, ready-to-eat or sweetened snacks, delicacies and stuffed biscuits were classified as "low nutritional value foods," while fruit, natural fruit juices, vegetables, and vegetable soup were the "high nutritional value foods." Univariate and multiple logistic regression was conducted. Overweight/obesity was significantly associated with higher food consumption from the school canteen (OR = 1.34; CI = 1.07-1.68) in private schools. Bringing food from home was significantly associated with increased consumption of low nutritional foods, both in public (OR = 1.56; CI = 1.32-1.83) and private (OR = 2.64; CI = 1.76-3.97) schools. The results highlight the need for tightening of norms to reduce the availability of low nutritional value food in canteens, and actions to promote nutritional education involving the school community.

According to the phenomenological approach, observing a phenomenon through the perspective of those who lived it may be necessary to acquire fully comprehension of it. Therefore, to fully understand the eating behavior during anorexia nervosa and during its recovery, this study investigated individual perceptions and feelings of three women recovering from anorexia nervosa. This study is characterized as a qualitative research with phenomenological approach. The data were collected through interviews and analyzed following steps proposed by phenomenology researchers. During the anorexia nervosa experience, food restriction and irregular meal patterns were observed. Controlling food intake was associated with happiness. Guilt, anguish, sadness, fear and anger were associated with eating, and food was considered a villain. An obsessive thinking about food and a paradox between liking to eat and not wanting to eat were also observed. During recovery, it is important to have a more flexible eating behavior without negative feelings regarding food; however, feelings of guilty and fear were still detected. Perceptions about contact with nutritionists revealed the use of ineffective strategies. Although similarities were found in all reports, every woman had their own particular and singular experience. Rescuing their memories and experiences through their speech was important to fully understand and comprehend these personal experiences, and this complete understanding may enable health professionals to act more efficiently in the treatment of this complex phenomenon.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between body image dissatisfaction and measurements of obesity - body mass index, waist circumference and body fat percentage - in students aged 7 to 10years in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina., Methods: Body image dissatisfaction was assessed by the Figure Rating Scale for Brazilian children. Association analyses were performed using multinomial logistic regression., Results: Body dissatisfaction was prevalent in 82.9% of the students, of whom 59.9% desired a smaller body size and 23.0% desired a larger body size, with a significant difference between the sexes. In boys, overweight, obesity and central obesity remained associated with the desire for a smaller body size, whereas for girls overweight and excess body fat were associated with the desire for a smaller body size., Conclusions: The results point to a normative discontent and indicate the need to include the topic of body image in the school curriculum., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of inaccurate estimation of own body size among Brazilian schoolchildren of both sexes aged 7-10 years, and to test whether overweight/obesity; excess body fat and central obesity are associated with inaccuracy., Methods: Accuracy of body size estimation was assessed using the Figure Rating Scale for Brazilian Children. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze associations., Results: The overall prevalence of inaccurate body size estimation was 76%, with 34% of the children underestimating their body size and 42% overestimating their body size. Obesity measured by body mass index was associated with underestimation of body size in both sexes, while central obesity was only associated with overestimation of body size among girls., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest there is a high prevalence of inaccurate body size estimation and that inaccurate estimation is associated with obesity. Accurate estimation of own body size is important among obese schoolchildren because it may be the first step towards adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors.

This study aimed to estimate fruit and vegetable intake and identify associated factors among schoolchildren in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 4,964 students from public and private schools in eight districts in the State, analyzing socioeconomic and anthropometric data and dietary intake. Adequate fruit and vegetable intake was defined as five or more servings per day. Poisson regression was performed to test associations between fruit and vegetable intake and independent variables (p < 0.05). Adequate intake was found in 2.7% of children, while 26.6% of the sample did not consume any fruits and vegetables. In the analysis of the association between independent variables and adequate fruit and vegetable intake in the total sample, only geographic region (residents in western Santa Catarina) and consumption of candy were significantly associated. In the stratified analysis by sex, for boys, only geographic region was associated, while among girls, region and candy consumption were significantly associated with adequate fruit and vegetable intake. The findings indicate the need for specific strategies in the school community to improve fruit and vegetable intake by schoolchildren.

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dissatisfaction with body image and associated socio-economic, behavioral and dietary factors in female university students from a public university in Florianopolis, SC. Body image was assessed by the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) in a sample of 220 students. Nutritional status was investigated by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (%BF). Socio-economic characteristics (age, monthly household income, and parental schooling) as well as energy intake and going on restrictive diets were also investigated. Factors associated with dissatisfaction with body image were analyzed by multivariate Poisson regression analysis. The prevalence of dissatisfaction with body image was 47.3% (95% CI 40.7; 53.9). Nutritional status by BMI and going on a diet to lose weight were the variables associated with body dissatisfaction. Results showed a high prevalence of indicators of rejection of their physical fitness among university students, which signals toward the need for nutritional education actions at universities in order to clarify and prevent abnormal eating attitudes among students.