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Objective: To evaluate dietary quality in a sample of pregnant women based on one simple and objective parameter., Methods: Pregnant women (n = 712), between 16 and 36 weeks, attending primary care clinics in Porto Alegre and Bento Gonçalves, Southern Brazil, in 2010 were recruited to take part. The Healthy Eating Index for Brazilian Pregnancy (HEIP-B) was created, derived from the American instrument called Alternate Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P). Questionnaires on frequency of consumption and on socio-demographic factors were completed. Focused principal component analysis (ACPF) was used to assess the relationship between the index and nutrients relevant to pregnancy., Results: The median (interquartile range) of AHEI-P and HEIP-B were 66.6 (57.8-72.4) and 67.4 (60.0-73.4), respectively. The HEIP-B showed a good positive correlation with nutrients which are specifically recommended for pregnancy: folate (r = 0.8; p < 0.001), calcium (r = 0.6; p < 0.001) and iron (r = 0.7; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The quality of the diet of the pregnant women in this study was classified as within the "improvements needed" cut off point, which demonstrates the need for more specific education on nutrition for this stage of life. The index showed good correlations and, thus, may be considered an effective tool for assessing the quality of nutrition during pregnancy.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of self-reported diabetes and hypertension and their absolute numbers in Brazil., Methods: Data from 54,369 individuals aged > or = 18 years, interviewed by the Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico (VIGITEL--Telephone-based Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases), conducted in 27 Brazilian state capitals in 2006, and who responded positively to questions about high blood pressure and diabetes, were analyzed. Percentages of self-reported hypertension and diabetes, estimated in the sample, were projected to the Brazilian population, according to age, sex and nutritional status, using the direct standardization method., Results: Prevalence of diabetes was 5.3% higher in women (6.0% vs. 4.4%), varying from 2.9% in Palmas (Northern Brazil) to 6.2% in São Paulo ( Southeastern Brazil). Prevalence of hypertension was 21.6% (21.3; 22.0) higher in women (24.4% vs. 18.4%), varying from 15.1% in Palmas to 24.9% in Recife (Northeastern Brazil). Prevalences increased with age and nutritional status. It was estimated that there were 6,317,621 adults who reported having diabetes and 25,690,145 adults who reported having hypertension in Brazil., Conclusions: Prevalence of self-reported diabetes and hypertension are high in Brazil. Monitoring of these and other health conditions can be performed using strategies such as the VIGITEL, especially if followed by validation studies, aiming to generalize results.