Rita Akutsu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Rita Akutsu

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of Community Restaurants Linked to Government Food and Nutrition Safety Programs: A Scope Review

Foods

Community restaurants linked to government food and nutritional security programs are establishme... more Community restaurants linked to government food and nutritional security programs are establishments created to offer meals to the population in socially vulnerable situations. The objective was to identify the methods, approaches, criteria, and indicators used to evaluate restaurants linked to government food and nutrition security programs. A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology and the international guide’s recommendations of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews was conducted. Medline databases via PubMed, Lilacs, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were used. Primary observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ethnographies, documentary studies, and case studies were included, with a quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed approach. A total of 2498 studies were identified. After taking out 180 duplicated articles, another 2202 articles were excluded by the ti...

Research paper thumbnail of Professional satisfaction of nutritionists: influence of age

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Research paper thumbnail of Amorphophallus konjac: Sensory Profile of This Novel Alternative Flour on Gluten-Free Bread

Foods

This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of gluten-free bread with Amorphophallus konjac ... more This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of gluten-free bread with Amorphophallus konjac (AK) flour in different concentrations. This experimental study is divided into three steps: preparation of the gluten-free bread formulations, sensory analysis, and statistical analysis. The addition of Konjac flour in a gluten-free bread formulation was tested in different proportions, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50% of the flour content. The checking all-that-apply (CATA) was conducted with 110 panelists; among these, 43 were consumers of gluten-free bread. Sensory analysis was conducted using a 9-point hedonic scale for color, aroma, texture, flavor, appearance, and overall acceptability. The AK flour influenced the sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread. Bread with characteristics closer to those found in bread with gluten was the one with 12.5% of konjac flour for both the acceptability analysis as the attributes raised through a detailed CATA map. The control sample is located ne...

Research paper thumbnail of Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição

Journal Health NPEPS, 2019

Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição ... more Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição Construction and implementation of technical datasheets for preparation of food and nutrition unit Construcción e implementación de fichas técnicas de preparación de unidad de alimentación y nutrición

Research paper thumbnail of Reviewers List

Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2020

The editors and staff of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin wish to acknowledge the meaningful contr... more The editors and staff of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin wish to acknowledge the meaningful contributions made by our reviewers and Editorial Board over the past year and to thank them for the countless hours they have volunteered for this purpose. By identifying manuscripts with the potential to make valuable additions to the literature—and by then working with authors to improve the composition, science, and integrity of their submissions—these august scholars have had a vital and lasting impact on the future of nutrition scholarship.

Research paper thumbnail of Amorphophallus konjac: A Novel Alternative Flour on Gluten-Free Bread

Foods

The demand for gluten-free products is rising, but their production with similar quality as their... more The demand for gluten-free products is rising, but their production with similar quality as their gluten counterparts is challenging. This study aimed to develop gluten-free bread samples using different concentrations of Amorphophallus konjac flour (0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50% of the total flour content) and to evaluate their nutritional and physicochemical properties. Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, moisture, ash content, fibers, resistant starch, firmness, specific volume, and color were evaluated using official methods. Protein varied from 2.95% to 4.94%, the energy value from 347.93 to 133.55 kcal/100 g, dietary fiber from 8.19 to 17.90%, and resistant starch from 0.67% to 0.75% on wet basis. The addition of konjac flour positively influenced the specific volume. Higher concentrations of konjac flour in the formulations led to lower calories of the bread due to the significant addition of water to the dough. The bread samples with konjac showed high fiber content due to the...

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Brazilian Community Restaurants for the Dimension of Low-Income People Access to Food

Nutrients

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Gov... more This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Government of the State of Bahia/Brazil, for the dimension of access to food. The study used secondary data obtained from the public opinion survey Profile of users of community restaurants in Salvador. The nutritional information was accessed through the analysis of CRs’ menus. Adequate effectiveness of access to food was considered when the CR served meals to 50% to 70% of the users considered the target audience (individuals served by the two CRs located in the city of Salvador/Bahia/Brazil). The participants (n = 1464; 778 as low-income individuals) were adult CR users from Salvador/Brazil. Most of the respondents were male, 40 to 54 years old, not white, had up to 9 years of formal education, without a partner, and living in the municipality of Salvador. The evaluated CRs are effective in serving 53.1% of the target population in their total service capacity. Meal provision only reache...

Research paper thumbnail of Food Insecurity among Low-Income Food Handlers: A Nationwide Study in Brazilian Community Restaurants

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

This study aims to evaluate food insecurity (FI) among Brazilian Community restaurant food handle... more 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 stat...

Research paper thumbnail of Os Termos de Referências como Fonte de Informações para a execução das atividades de Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição Hospitalar

Research, Society and Development, 2021

Objetivou-se avaliar as informações disponíveis nos Termos de Referências acerca das atividades d... more Objetivou-se avaliar as informações disponíveis nos Termos de Referências acerca das atividades das Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição hospitalares. Estudo exploratório, a partir dos TR de oito hospitais estaduais da Bahia que terceirizam as suas UAN. Foi elaborado instrumento com 32 afirmações divididas em três fatores: Planejamento de Cardápios, Execução de Cardápios e Controle higiênico-sanitário, avaliadas, também, se eram explícitas ou não. O fator Planejamento de Cardápios apresentou 57,5% de itens presentes nos Termos de Referência, enquanto Execução de Cardápios e Controle higiênico-sanitário obtiveram, respectivamente, 66,7% e 80,7%. Apenas o primeiro fator não teve o mesmo percentual em relação aos itens que foram declarados explicitamente. Verificou-se a falta de informações essenciais para a execução das atividades de uma Unidade de Alimentação e Nutrição hospitalar, como: o responsável por elaborar os cardápios, dimensionamento de pessoal, higienização do reservatório d...

Research paper thumbnail of Well-Being at Work: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Portuguese Nutritionists

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

This exploratory, nationwide cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the well-being of... more This exploratory, nationwide cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the well-being of Portuguese nutritionists, in addition to outlining their professional and demographic profile. Descriptive analyses were carried out to determine the measures relating to centralising tendency and dispersion of the sample. We compared means and proportions through t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The sample size was 206 individuals, respecting a minimum of eight respondents per item to validate the instrument. We recruited Nutritionists from Portugal nationwide using the list of electronic mail provided by the Order of Nutritionists. We sent an electronic mail to all the Nutritionists registered in this Order. We also used messaging applications and social networks (Instagram, Facebook) to reach Nutritionists who were not accessing electronic mail. Most respondents are women (92.5%), young (mean age = 31.4 ± 8.07 years; 54.2% of participants aging under 30 years), single, and w...

Research paper thumbnail of Wellbeing at Work before and during the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic: A Brazilian Nationwide Study among Dietitians

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians’ wellbeing at work before and during t... more This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians’ wellbeing at work before and during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was performed using a previously validated instrument to investigate the wellbeing of dietitians at work in Brazil. The questionnaire on the wellbeing of dietitians was composed of 25 items (with a 5-point scale), characteristics, and questions about the SARS-COV-2 period. The application was carried out with GoogleForms® tool from 26 May to 7 June 2020. The weblink to access the research was sent via email, messaging apps, and social networks. Volunteers were recruited nationwide with the help of the Brazilian Dietitians Councils, support groups, as well as media outreach to reach as many dietitians as possible. Volunteers received, along with the research link, the invitation to participate, as well as the consent form. A representative sample of 1359 dietitians from all the Brazilian regions answered the questionnaire—mostly...

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational Risks in Hospitals, Quality of Life, and Quality of Work Life: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study systematically reviewed the relationship between occupational risks and quality of lif... more This study systematically reviewed the relationship between occupational risks and quality of life (QoL) and quality of work life (QWL) in hospitals. A systematic review was performed according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide, and the protocol was submitted on the PROSPERO website (CRD 2019127865). The last search was performed in June 2021 by two independent reviewers in the main databases, a gray literature database, and a manual search (LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Ovid). As eligibility criteria, we included observational studies, with adult hospital workers, with no restrictions on date and language, any type of instrument to assess QoL and QWL, any definition of QoL and QWL, and studies that presented the relationship between exposure and outcome. Newcastle–Ottawa was used to assess the methodological quality and RTI-Item Ban...

Research paper thumbnail of Is What Low-Income Brazilians Are Eating in Popular Restaurants Contributing to Promote Their Health?

Nutrients, Jan 27, 2018

This study evaluates the healthfulness of the meals offered to and consumed by low-income Brazili... more This study evaluates the healthfulness of the meals offered to and consumed by low-income Brazilians in Popular Restaurants (PR). It is a cross-sectional, exploratory study. The final sample includes 36 PRs, respecting the stratification criteria for each of the five Brazilian regions. To identify the quantity and quality of food consumption, consumers' meals are evaluated. The sample calculation uses a minimum of 41 consumers in each PR. Consumption evaluation is carried out by weighing and direct observation of the meal that each consumer served to his plate. Each dish of the meals had its Technical preparation files (TPF) developed by observing the production and weighing all the ingredients. Evaluations of Energy density (ED), meal's weight components and sodium composition are conducted. Plate's composition is compared to "My plate" guidelines United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The final sample includes 1771 low-income Brazilians consumers. Th...

Research paper thumbnail of Brazilian Community Restaurants’ Low-Income Food Handlers: Association between the Nutritional Status and the Presence of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases

Sustainability

This cross-sectional study aimed primarily to determine the association between the nutritional s... more This cross-sectional study aimed primarily to determine the association between the nutritional status and the presence of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) among community restaurants’ food handlers, since their access to food can influence their body mass index (BMI). The study discusses the socio-demographic status of participants, dietary intake, the prevalence of overweightness/obesity, and self-reported diagnosed NCDs. In 36 Community Restaurants (CRs) from all of the Brazilian regions, we collected data from 559 food handlers. We used a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data and the reported diagnosed chronic diseases. For the anthropometric evaluation with Body Mass Index calculation, we measured the weight and the height of the individuals. They were all weighed before having lunch at the CR, without shoes and coats. Associations between variables were analyzed by the chi-square test and Poisson regression at a significance level of 5%, considering health as...

Research paper thumbnail of Characterization, Nutrient Intake, and Nutritional Status of Low-Income Students Attending a Brazilian University Restaurant

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

In Brazilian universities, the university restaurant (UR) is essential in supporting students to ... more In Brazilian universities, the university restaurant (UR) is essential in supporting students to complete their courses, as the UR offers free or low-cost food. In this sense, this research aimed to evaluate public policy effectiveness in offering food to low-income students attending the UR of the University of Brasília. This cross-sectional study compared low-income students (participating in the Student Assistance Program—Group 1) and students that did not participate in the Program (Group 2). Researchers assessed food consumption through direct observation of students while serving their plates at UR (in all meals consumed at UR) and completed food consumption with diet recalls for the meals outside the UR. In total, three complete days, including one weekend day, were evaluated for each student. Researchers also evaluated the participants’ body mass composition and body fat percentage. The results of the comparisons between the evaluated groups showed that the groups presented ...

Research paper thumbnail of Quality of Life Prior and in the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study with Brazilian Dietitians

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Dietitians as healthcare professionals could decrease their quality of life during the SARS-COV-2... more Dietitians as healthcare professionals could decrease their quality of life during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic period; therefore, this study aimed to compare Brazilian dietitians’ perceptions of quality of life before and during the pandemic. This nationwide cross-sectional research aimed to evaluate Brazilian dietitians’ quality of life before and in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, using a previously validated self-administered instrument WHO-QOL-BREF in Brazilian-Portuguese. The questionnaire was composed of 26 items (four domains) to evaluate life quality (physical, psychological, social relationship, and environment). The questionnaire also presented some sociodemographic variables and three questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was applied using GoogleForms® platform (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA, USA). For the statistical analysis of data, Paired T-test, Chi-squared test, and Analysis of Variance were used. A total of 1290 Brazilian dietitians replied to the instrument. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Service Restaurants in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Encyclopedia

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the self-service restaurant sector, as well as other types of foo... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Hydroxychloroquine

Research paper thumbnail of Breakfast Characterization and Consumption by Low-Income Brazilians: Food Identity and Regional Food

Sustainability

The study aimed to evaluate the breakfast (BF) of the Brazilian low-income population, analyzing ... more The study aimed to evaluate the breakfast (BF) of the Brazilian low-income population, analyzing cultural aspects, such as the habit of consuming regional foods and the BF food identity markers. This cross-sectional study used a sample of 1872 low-income Brazilians. For the food consumption analysis, three 24–hour dietary recalls were used. For the qualitative analysis of the BF, we used three classifications: standard, full, partial, and without BF. Also, BF was considered as regional when at least one regional food (contained in a predefined list of regional foods) was consumed. For the analysis of BF's food identity markers, we evaluated all food groups and their frequencies. Of the 5616 possible BF meals available for the three days of consumption, 17.3% were skipped, a low percentage. A total of 4642 BF examples were analyzed. Standard type BF was prevalent in all regions, and full BF was rarely consumed by participants. Women during the weekend skipped BF less often. Out o...

Research paper thumbnail of Foodborne Diseases

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) comprise a broad spectrum of illnesses that result from the ingestion o... more Foodborne diseases (FBDs) comprise a broad spectrum of illnesses that result from the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs or water. FBDs can occur at any stage, from production to food consumption, and contamination may be the result of environmental contamination, such as pollution of water, soil, or air [1]. FBDs represent one of the most critical public health problems in the world, especially in developing countries that present serious shortcomings in infrastructure and basic sanitation [2–5]. With the knowledge to prevent FBDs, and the concerns about the increase in FBD cases arising in households, it is essential to evaluate homes’ good food preparation practices.

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of Community Restaurants Linked to Government Food and Nutrition Safety Programs: A Scope Review

Foods

Community restaurants linked to government food and nutritional security programs are establishme... more Community restaurants linked to government food and nutritional security programs are establishments created to offer meals to the population in socially vulnerable situations. The objective was to identify the methods, approaches, criteria, and indicators used to evaluate restaurants linked to government food and nutrition security programs. A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology and the international guide’s recommendations of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews was conducted. Medline databases via PubMed, Lilacs, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were used. Primary observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ethnographies, documentary studies, and case studies were included, with a quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed approach. A total of 2498 studies were identified. After taking out 180 duplicated articles, another 2202 articles were excluded by the ti...

Research paper thumbnail of Professional satisfaction of nutritionists: influence of age

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Research paper thumbnail of Amorphophallus konjac: Sensory Profile of This Novel Alternative Flour on Gluten-Free Bread

Foods

This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of gluten-free bread with Amorphophallus konjac ... more This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of gluten-free bread with Amorphophallus konjac (AK) flour in different concentrations. This experimental study is divided into three steps: preparation of the gluten-free bread formulations, sensory analysis, and statistical analysis. The addition of Konjac flour in a gluten-free bread formulation was tested in different proportions, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50% of the flour content. The checking all-that-apply (CATA) was conducted with 110 panelists; among these, 43 were consumers of gluten-free bread. Sensory analysis was conducted using a 9-point hedonic scale for color, aroma, texture, flavor, appearance, and overall acceptability. The AK flour influenced the sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread. Bread with characteristics closer to those found in bread with gluten was the one with 12.5% of konjac flour for both the acceptability analysis as the attributes raised through a detailed CATA map. The control sample is located ne...

Research paper thumbnail of Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição

Journal Health NPEPS, 2019

Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição ... more Construção e implementação de fichas técnicas de preparação de unidade de alimentação e nutrição Construction and implementation of technical datasheets for preparation of food and nutrition unit Construcción e implementación de fichas técnicas de preparación de unidad de alimentación y nutrición

Research paper thumbnail of Reviewers List

Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2020

The editors and staff of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin wish to acknowledge the meaningful contr... more The editors and staff of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin wish to acknowledge the meaningful contributions made by our reviewers and Editorial Board over the past year and to thank them for the countless hours they have volunteered for this purpose. By identifying manuscripts with the potential to make valuable additions to the literature—and by then working with authors to improve the composition, science, and integrity of their submissions—these august scholars have had a vital and lasting impact on the future of nutrition scholarship.

Research paper thumbnail of Amorphophallus konjac: A Novel Alternative Flour on Gluten-Free Bread

Foods

The demand for gluten-free products is rising, but their production with similar quality as their... more The demand for gluten-free products is rising, but their production with similar quality as their gluten counterparts is challenging. This study aimed to develop gluten-free bread samples using different concentrations of Amorphophallus konjac flour (0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50% of the total flour content) and to evaluate their nutritional and physicochemical properties. Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, moisture, ash content, fibers, resistant starch, firmness, specific volume, and color were evaluated using official methods. Protein varied from 2.95% to 4.94%, the energy value from 347.93 to 133.55 kcal/100 g, dietary fiber from 8.19 to 17.90%, and resistant starch from 0.67% to 0.75% on wet basis. The addition of konjac flour positively influenced the specific volume. Higher concentrations of konjac flour in the formulations led to lower calories of the bread due to the significant addition of water to the dough. The bread samples with konjac showed high fiber content due to the...

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Brazilian Community Restaurants for the Dimension of Low-Income People Access to Food

Nutrients

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Gov... more This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Government of the State of Bahia/Brazil, for the dimension of access to food. The study used secondary data obtained from the public opinion survey Profile of users of community restaurants in Salvador. The nutritional information was accessed through the analysis of CRs’ menus. Adequate effectiveness of access to food was considered when the CR served meals to 50% to 70% of the users considered the target audience (individuals served by the two CRs located in the city of Salvador/Bahia/Brazil). The participants (n = 1464; 778 as low-income individuals) were adult CR users from Salvador/Brazil. Most of the respondents were male, 40 to 54 years old, not white, had up to 9 years of formal education, without a partner, and living in the municipality of Salvador. The evaluated CRs are effective in serving 53.1% of the target population in their total service capacity. Meal provision only reache...

Research paper thumbnail of Food Insecurity among Low-Income Food Handlers: A Nationwide Study in Brazilian Community Restaurants

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

This study aims to evaluate food insecurity (FI) among Brazilian Community restaurant food handle... more 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 stat...

Research paper thumbnail of Os Termos de Referências como Fonte de Informações para a execução das atividades de Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição Hospitalar

Research, Society and Development, 2021

Objetivou-se avaliar as informações disponíveis nos Termos de Referências acerca das atividades d... more Objetivou-se avaliar as informações disponíveis nos Termos de Referências acerca das atividades das Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição hospitalares. Estudo exploratório, a partir dos TR de oito hospitais estaduais da Bahia que terceirizam as suas UAN. Foi elaborado instrumento com 32 afirmações divididas em três fatores: Planejamento de Cardápios, Execução de Cardápios e Controle higiênico-sanitário, avaliadas, também, se eram explícitas ou não. O fator Planejamento de Cardápios apresentou 57,5% de itens presentes nos Termos de Referência, enquanto Execução de Cardápios e Controle higiênico-sanitário obtiveram, respectivamente, 66,7% e 80,7%. Apenas o primeiro fator não teve o mesmo percentual em relação aos itens que foram declarados explicitamente. Verificou-se a falta de informações essenciais para a execução das atividades de uma Unidade de Alimentação e Nutrição hospitalar, como: o responsável por elaborar os cardápios, dimensionamento de pessoal, higienização do reservatório d...

Research paper thumbnail of Well-Being at Work: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Portuguese Nutritionists

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

This exploratory, nationwide cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the well-being of... more This exploratory, nationwide cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the well-being of Portuguese nutritionists, in addition to outlining their professional and demographic profile. Descriptive analyses were carried out to determine the measures relating to centralising tendency and dispersion of the sample. We compared means and proportions through t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The sample size was 206 individuals, respecting a minimum of eight respondents per item to validate the instrument. We recruited Nutritionists from Portugal nationwide using the list of electronic mail provided by the Order of Nutritionists. We sent an electronic mail to all the Nutritionists registered in this Order. We also used messaging applications and social networks (Instagram, Facebook) to reach Nutritionists who were not accessing electronic mail. Most respondents are women (92.5%), young (mean age = 31.4 ± 8.07 years; 54.2% of participants aging under 30 years), single, and w...

Research paper thumbnail of Wellbeing at Work before and during the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic: A Brazilian Nationwide Study among Dietitians

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians’ wellbeing at work before and during t... more This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians’ wellbeing at work before and during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was performed using a previously validated instrument to investigate the wellbeing of dietitians at work in Brazil. The questionnaire on the wellbeing of dietitians was composed of 25 items (with a 5-point scale), characteristics, and questions about the SARS-COV-2 period. The application was carried out with GoogleForms® tool from 26 May to 7 June 2020. The weblink to access the research was sent via email, messaging apps, and social networks. Volunteers were recruited nationwide with the help of the Brazilian Dietitians Councils, support groups, as well as media outreach to reach as many dietitians as possible. Volunteers received, along with the research link, the invitation to participate, as well as the consent form. A representative sample of 1359 dietitians from all the Brazilian regions answered the questionnaire—mostly...

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational Risks in Hospitals, Quality of Life, and Quality of Work Life: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study systematically reviewed the relationship between occupational risks and quality of lif... more This study systematically reviewed the relationship between occupational risks and quality of life (QoL) and quality of work life (QWL) in hospitals. A systematic review was performed according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide, and the protocol was submitted on the PROSPERO website (CRD 2019127865). The last search was performed in June 2021 by two independent reviewers in the main databases, a gray literature database, and a manual search (LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Ovid). As eligibility criteria, we included observational studies, with adult hospital workers, with no restrictions on date and language, any type of instrument to assess QoL and QWL, any definition of QoL and QWL, and studies that presented the relationship between exposure and outcome. Newcastle–Ottawa was used to assess the methodological quality and RTI-Item Ban...

Research paper thumbnail of Is What Low-Income Brazilians Are Eating in Popular Restaurants Contributing to Promote Their Health?

Nutrients, Jan 27, 2018

This study evaluates the healthfulness of the meals offered to and consumed by low-income Brazili... more This study evaluates the healthfulness of the meals offered to and consumed by low-income Brazilians in Popular Restaurants (PR). It is a cross-sectional, exploratory study. The final sample includes 36 PRs, respecting the stratification criteria for each of the five Brazilian regions. To identify the quantity and quality of food consumption, consumers' meals are evaluated. The sample calculation uses a minimum of 41 consumers in each PR. Consumption evaluation is carried out by weighing and direct observation of the meal that each consumer served to his plate. Each dish of the meals had its Technical preparation files (TPF) developed by observing the production and weighing all the ingredients. Evaluations of Energy density (ED), meal's weight components and sodium composition are conducted. Plate's composition is compared to "My plate" guidelines United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The final sample includes 1771 low-income Brazilians consumers. Th...

Research paper thumbnail of Brazilian Community Restaurants’ Low-Income Food Handlers: Association between the Nutritional Status and the Presence of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases

Sustainability

This cross-sectional study aimed primarily to determine the association between the nutritional s... more This cross-sectional study aimed primarily to determine the association between the nutritional status and the presence of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) among community restaurants’ food handlers, since their access to food can influence their body mass index (BMI). The study discusses the socio-demographic status of participants, dietary intake, the prevalence of overweightness/obesity, and self-reported diagnosed NCDs. In 36 Community Restaurants (CRs) from all of the Brazilian regions, we collected data from 559 food handlers. We used a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data and the reported diagnosed chronic diseases. For the anthropometric evaluation with Body Mass Index calculation, we measured the weight and the height of the individuals. They were all weighed before having lunch at the CR, without shoes and coats. Associations between variables were analyzed by the chi-square test and Poisson regression at a significance level of 5%, considering health as...

Research paper thumbnail of Characterization, Nutrient Intake, and Nutritional Status of Low-Income Students Attending a Brazilian University Restaurant

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

In Brazilian universities, the university restaurant (UR) is essential in supporting students to ... more In Brazilian universities, the university restaurant (UR) is essential in supporting students to complete their courses, as the UR offers free or low-cost food. In this sense, this research aimed to evaluate public policy effectiveness in offering food to low-income students attending the UR of the University of Brasília. This cross-sectional study compared low-income students (participating in the Student Assistance Program—Group 1) and students that did not participate in the Program (Group 2). Researchers assessed food consumption through direct observation of students while serving their plates at UR (in all meals consumed at UR) and completed food consumption with diet recalls for the meals outside the UR. In total, three complete days, including one weekend day, were evaluated for each student. Researchers also evaluated the participants’ body mass composition and body fat percentage. The results of the comparisons between the evaluated groups showed that the groups presented ...

Research paper thumbnail of Quality of Life Prior and in the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study with Brazilian Dietitians

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Dietitians as healthcare professionals could decrease their quality of life during the SARS-COV-2... more Dietitians as healthcare professionals could decrease their quality of life during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic period; therefore, this study aimed to compare Brazilian dietitians’ perceptions of quality of life before and during the pandemic. This nationwide cross-sectional research aimed to evaluate Brazilian dietitians’ quality of life before and in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, using a previously validated self-administered instrument WHO-QOL-BREF in Brazilian-Portuguese. The questionnaire was composed of 26 items (four domains) to evaluate life quality (physical, psychological, social relationship, and environment). The questionnaire also presented some sociodemographic variables and three questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was applied using GoogleForms® platform (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA, USA). For the statistical analysis of data, Paired T-test, Chi-squared test, and Analysis of Variance were used. A total of 1290 Brazilian dietitians replied to the instrument. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Service Restaurants in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Encyclopedia

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the self-service restaurant sector, as well as other types of foo... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Hydroxychloroquine

Research paper thumbnail of Breakfast Characterization and Consumption by Low-Income Brazilians: Food Identity and Regional Food

Sustainability

The study aimed to evaluate the breakfast (BF) of the Brazilian low-income population, analyzing ... more The study aimed to evaluate the breakfast (BF) of the Brazilian low-income population, analyzing cultural aspects, such as the habit of consuming regional foods and the BF food identity markers. This cross-sectional study used a sample of 1872 low-income Brazilians. For the food consumption analysis, three 24–hour dietary recalls were used. For the qualitative analysis of the BF, we used three classifications: standard, full, partial, and without BF. Also, BF was considered as regional when at least one regional food (contained in a predefined list of regional foods) was consumed. For the analysis of BF's food identity markers, we evaluated all food groups and their frequencies. Of the 5616 possible BF meals available for the three days of consumption, 17.3% were skipped, a low percentage. A total of 4642 BF examples were analyzed. Standard type BF was prevalent in all regions, and full BF was rarely consumed by participants. Women during the weekend skipped BF less often. Out o...

Research paper thumbnail of Foodborne Diseases

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) comprise a broad spectrum of illnesses that result from the ingestion o... more Foodborne diseases (FBDs) comprise a broad spectrum of illnesses that result from the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs or water. FBDs can occur at any stage, from production to food consumption, and contamination may be the result of environmental contamination, such as pollution of water, soil, or air [1]. FBDs represent one of the most critical public health problems in the world, especially in developing countries that present serious shortcomings in infrastructure and basic sanitation [2–5]. With the knowledge to prevent FBDs, and the concerns about the increase in FBD cases arising in households, it is essential to evaluate homes’ good food preparation practices.