Insufficient Answer During the Public Health Emergency: A Lesson from the Persistence of Food Insecurity in Low-Income Communities.

Cohort study in deprived communities to investigate the persistence of food insecurity (FI) during the COVID-19 was conducted. Sample were derived from a list of mobile phone numbers provided by community leaders and local nonprofit organizations. Temporal trends and prevalence ratios of FI persistence, categorized as "never," "occasional FI," "consistent FI," were calculated. A total of 302 households completed three assessments, the majority nonwhite women. During the follow-up, families covered by social assistance increased; however, their income decreased (p < 0.05). 33% were "consistent," and 46% "occasional" FI. Permanent difficulties accessing gas canisters, hygiene products, and hand sanitizers were observed.

Vitamin B12 sources in non-animal foods: a systematic review.

Interest in plant-based diets and vegetarianism is increasing worldwide, however, a concern for total vegetarians is vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency. We conducted a systematic review to investigate non-animal food sources of B12. Databases were PubMed, LILACS, Cochrane, Embase and Google Scholar, up to September 9, 2020. Quality of the eligible studies were assessed. We identified 25 studies which assessed B12 content in seaweeds, mushrooms, plants and fermented foods. Initial studies were microbiological bioassay, ELISA and HPLC. In the last decade, more sensitive method for real B12 determination was used, the liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry chromatograms. Real B12 content varied from mean (SD) mcg/portion size of seaweed hijiki 3 × 10-3/7 g to nori 1.03 - 2.68/sheet; mushroom white button cap 2 × 10-3(7 × 10-4)/20 g dry weight (dw) to shiitake 0.79(0.67)-1.12 (0.78)/20 g dw; and fermented foods from soy yogurt 20/cup. It is possible that daily recommendations for B12 can be met by a varied diet containing non-animal B12 food sources. Future research should consider different methods of storage, preparation, fermented foods and standardization of the production of certain foods.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2053057.

Reduced circulating folate among older adults caused by continuous work: nested cross-sectional study conducted in a country with folic acid fortification program.

Population aging is 1 of the biggest challenges facing public health today, and cognitive dysfunction is an important concern. Cognitive impairment may be associated with high folate concentrations and low vitamin B12 concentrations; the latter is a common problem among elderly people. Therefore, we hypothesized there was a high circulating folate concentration among older people living in a country with a mandatory folic acid fortification program. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate nutritional status of folate and vitamin B12 among aged people. Three dietary recalls, serum folate (sfolate), erythrocyte (red blood cell) folate (RBC folate), and serum vitamin B12 and homocysteine were collected. Linear regression models were used to investigate factors associated with circulating vitamins. We interviewed 169 participants. Half reported inadequate consumption of folate. However, RBC folate deficiency was observed in 27%, 13% in the serum, and a 10% excess of sfolate. One-quarter reported inadequate consumption of B12, but only 5% had deficiency. Factors negatively associated with circulating folate were continuous work and smoking, and positively associated with polyunsaturated fatty acid. Factor negatively associated with the circulating B12 were use of a dental prosthesis and intake of saturated fatty acid. Permanent investigation of excess of sfolate and B12 deficiency, especially among older adults living in countries exposed to a mandatory folic acid fortification program, is important because of the possible relation to the cognitive function.

Economic burden of cancer attributable to overweight in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

BACKGROUND: Alongside the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in Brazil, there is expected to be increased direct healthcare costs of cancers. Herein, we estimated the economic costs of cancer attributable to overweight in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), according to sex, type of cancer and geographic location (Federative Units). METHODS: The population attributable fraction (PAF) of fifteen types of cancer were estimated using body mass index (BMI) data of 85,715 adults (≥ 20 years) involved in the 2019 National Health Survey and relative risks of cancers from a meta-analysis. Inpatients and outpatient procedures and costs of cancer treatment were obtained from the SUS systems. RESULTS: Costs of cancers included in this study were Int$ 1 billion in 2019, of which 9 % or Int$ 95 million were attributable to overweight and obesity. PAFs were higher in men (11 %) than in women (8 %), while the attributable cancer costs were higher in women (Int$ 55 million) than in men (Int$ 40 million). Cancers with the highest PAFs were endometrial cancer (40 %) and esophageal cancer (26 %), whereas cancers with the highest attributable costs were colorectal cancer (Int$ 25 million) and breast cancer (Int$ 24 million). CONCLUSION: Overweight was responsible for approximately Int$ 95 million (9 %) cancer direct healthcare cost in Brazil. Public policies and programs aimed at encouraging healthy diets and physical activity may decrease the economic burden of cancer in Brazil.

Low serum lycopene, and adequate α-tocopherol levels in patients with psoriasis: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disease. It affects skin and joints, characterized by abnormal hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. The worldwide prevalence of psoriasis ranges from 2% to 4%. Environmental factors as smoking, alcohol consumption obesity can also work as triggers. During the inflammatory process, there is an exacerbated formation of free radicals and antioxidants are required to maintain redox balance. AIM: Assess antioxidant profiles. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between August/2012 and March/2014. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and biochemical measurements, dietary intake, serum lycopene and α-tocopherol, psoriasis severity according to Psoriasis Area and Severity Index were obtained. Comparisons between serum lycopene and α-tocopherol distributions according to variables were conducted using a one-way analysis of variance. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate factors associated with serum antioxidants. RESULTS: 81 participants (56% female, 62% non-white), 34% without psoriatic lesions, 51% diagnosed with mild psoriasis, and 15% with moderate psoriasis. Median (IQR) age of 54 (41, 62) years, 10 (4, 11) years of education, 17% smokers, 46% overweight and 25% obesity. In total, 72% did not reach the daily recommendation of fruit and vegetable intake. Serum lycopene and α-tocopherol were 0.2 (0.1-0.3) µmol/L and 22.5 (18.5-25.6) µmol/L, respectively. Only 14% presented adequate concentration of lycopene, but adequate α-tocopherol level was observed among 88%. CONCLUSIONS: Patients reported a diet low in vegetables and fruits and rich in ultra-processed foods and fatty acids. Adequate circulating α-tocopherol but low serum lycopene, was observed among patients. A linear trend was observed for lycopene according to the severity of psoriasis.

High prevalence of food insecurity, the adverse impact of COVID-19 in Brazilian favela.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate food insecurity (FI) prevalence in two favelas in Brazil in the early weeks of the social distancing policy, from 27 March 2020 to 1 June 2020. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire to elicit information on socio-economic and demographic characteristics, the types of stores visited to buy food, and FI screening. The FI experience was evaluated according to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Factors associated with moderate or severe FI were investigated using the logistic regression model. SETTING: São Paulo city, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Totally, 909 householders. RESULTS: Eighty-eight per cent of the households included young women working as cleaners or kitchen assistants and in sales services. One-fifth of the participants were involved in the federal cash transfer programme, called Bolsa Família. There were 92 % households with children. The most frequent experience reported was uncertainty about food acquisition or receiving more (89 %), eating less than one should (64 %), not being able to eat healthy and nutritious food (46 %), and skipping a meal (39 %). Forty-seven per cent of the participants experienced moderate or severe FI. Factors associated with moderate and severe FI were low income, being a Bolsa Família recipient, having a low level of education and living in a household without children. CONCLUSIONS: Half of the participants experienced moderate or severe FI, and almost 10 % experienced hunger. Our data suggest that families with children were at a lower risk of moderate to severe FI. It is possible that nationally established social programmes such as Bolsa Família were protecting those families.

Fruits and vegetables and cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the association of fruits and vegetables intake with the occurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cancer. MEDLINE, LILACS, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases and gray literature on Google Scholar were searched before December 17, 2018. Odds ratio (OR) or relative risk (RR) estimates for the highest vs. the lowest intake of intake and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from the included studies were pooled using fixed and random-effects models. We found 18 studies: 17 case-control studies (n = 9,014 cases, n = 29,088 controls) and one cohort study (n = 299,651). No association was observed for CIN. The pooled adjusted ORs (95% CI) for cervical cancer were 0.61 (95% CI 0.52-0.73) for vegetables and 0.80 (95% CI 0.70-0.93) for fruits. However, no association was observed when the pooled effect was estimated among studies that adjusted for human papillomavirus (HPV). Consumption of vegetables and fruits was not associated with incidence of cervical cancer among studies that controlled for HPV infection. The level of evidence is limited because only one cohort study was included in the analysis.

Cancer cases and deaths attributable to lifestyle risk factors in Chile.

BACKGROUND: To identify modifiable risk factors that contribute to cancer holds important public health relevance for setting up prevention strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of cancer cases and deaths attributable to alcohol consumption, high body mass index (BMI), low fruits and vegetables consumption, lack of physical activity, tobacco smoking, and passive smoking in Chile in 2018. METHODS: We retrieved data from a national representative survey to describe the distribution of six lifestyle risk factors. Relative risks of each risk factor-cancer pair were obtained from published meta-analysis and pooled cohort studies. Cancer cases and deaths were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2018. RESULTS: Nearly 30% of all cancer cases (15,097 out of 50,320 cases) and 36% of all cancer deaths (10,155 out of 28,010 deaths) in Chile in 2018 were attributable to lifestyle risk factors. Smoking and high BMI accounted for most of the cancer cases (9232 and 4394, respectively) and deaths (6868 and 2572). The cancer burden of other lifestyle risk factors varied by sex. In men, the proportion of all cancer cases attributed to alcohol were 3.7% compare to 2.0% for women. Cancers cases and deaths of the larynx, lung, oral/cavity, esophagus and bladder could be at least halved if lifestyle risk factors were eliminated. CONCLUSION: Smoking and high BMI were the leading causes of preventable cancer cases and deaths within the six lifestyles factors considered. Cancer prevention strategies should consider evidence-based interventions and public policies to encourage the adoption of a healthier lifestyle.

Agreement between nutritional status and perception of body image in indigenous Khisêdjê of the Xingu Indigenous Park. / Concordância entre estado nutricional e percepção da imagem corporal em indígenas khisêdjê do Parque Indígena do Xingu.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the agreement between body self-image (based on the Stunkard figure rating scale) and nutritional status and to evaluate body satisfaction among the Khisêdjê indigenous people of Parque Indígena do Xingu (Xingu Indigenous Park). METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 131 natives aged 20 and older. Data on body image, body mass index and waist circumference were collected. Kappa statistics, χ2 (p < 0.05), crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and Student's t-test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was respectively 42 and 5.3%. The percentage of satisfaction with body profile was 61.8% with no difference between the sexes. There was good agreement between actual and ideal self-image (p < 0.001), but poor agreement between actual and ideal self-image with nutritional status for both sexes. A higher prevalence of body dissatisfaction due to overweight was detected in individuals with central obesity and overweight. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that body self-image evaluated by the Stunkard silhouette scale has little applicability as an indicator of nutritional status among the indigenous Khisêdjê of Xingu Indigenous Park.

Educational interventions on nutrition among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Poor nutrition is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases and nutritional deficiencies. Dietary interventions have been proposed to improve eating habits. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of randomized clinical trials of nutritional interventions in food habits among older people. A systematic literature review using the MEDLINE, LILACS, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases was conducted, according to PRISMA guidelines. The keywords were: food and nutrition education OR educación alimentaria y nutricional OR educação alimentar e nutricional AND clinical trial OR ensayo clínico OR ensaio clínico AND elderly OR aged OR anciano OR idoso AND human OR seres humanos. The pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using I² tests. After screening based on the title and abstract, and a full-text assessment, 11 studies remained. Results of pooling eleven studies were as follows: SMD = 0.25 (95 % CI = 0.15 - 0.34; I² = 0,0%) for vegetable, SMD = 0.18 (95 % CI = 0.08 - 0.27; I² = 0,0%) for fruit and SMD = 0.27 (95 % CI = 0.18 - 0.36; I² = 58,3%) for fibre intake. Our results suggest that nutritional interventions were effective in increasing vegetable, fruit and fibre intake. However, these results should be analyzed carefully, due to the small number of studies included in the meta-analysis. Further studies should be encouraged due to the aging process.

Protocol for a Nested Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Mindfulness Based Health Promotion Program on the Quality of Life of Older Adults Assisted in Primary Care-"The MBHP-Elderly Study".

Introduction: Population aging is a global phenomenon that has grown rapidly and progressively all over the world. Interventions that promote health must be studied and implemented to make the aging process be with quality of life. Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health conditions that compromise the quality of life on the elderly and it can cause damage to the autonomy and activities of daily life. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological health and quality of life on adults. Studies involving Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) with older people are scarce in the literature, but they have been increasing in recent years showing promising results for healthy aging. This trial will investigate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an MBI on the quality of life of elderly assisted in the Primary Care. Materials and Methods: A cohort-nested randomized controlled trial with 3 assessment points (baseline, post-intervention and 1-year follow up) will be conducted to compare a MBI program (Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion) to a cognitive stimulation control-group in a Primary Care facility. One-hundred and two older adults will be recruited from a cohort of this facility and they will be randomized and allocated into an intervention group (N = 76) and the control group (N = 76). The primary outcome evaluated will be the improvement of quality of life assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD. The secondary outcomes will be cognitive function, psychological health, sleep quality, self-compassion, and religiosity. Qualitative data will be assessed by focus group and the word free evocation technique. The feasibility of the program will also be evaluated by adherence and unwanted effects questionnaires. Discussion: This cohort-nested clinical trial will be the first mixed-methods study with 3 assessment points which will study the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a mindfulness-based program for older people in Latin America population. If the findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of this program in this population it will be possible to consider it as intervention that might be implemented as public policy addressed to older people in healthcare systems. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03048708. Registered retrospectively on October 11th 2018.

Concordância entre estado nutricional e percepção da imagem corporal em indígenas khisêdjê do Parque Indígena do Xingu / Agreement between nutritional status and perception of body image in indigenous Khisêdjê of the Xingu Indigenous Park

RESUMO: Objetivos: Verificar a concordância entre autoimagem corporal (escala de silhuetas de Stunkard et al.) e estado nutricional e avaliar a satisfação corporal em indígenas khisêdjê do Parque Indígena do Xingu. Métodos: Estudo transversal que incluiu 131 indígenas khisêdjê, com 20 anos ou mais. Coletaram-se dados sobre imagem corporal, índice de massa corporal e perímetro da cintura. Foram utilizados a estatística kappa, o teste χ2 (p < 0,05), as razões de prevalências brutas e ajustadas e o teste t de Student. Resultados: As prevalências de sobrepeso e obesidade foram, respectivamente, 42 e 5,3%. A porcentagem de satisfação com o perfil corporal foi de 61,8%, sem diferença entre os sexos. Houve boa concordância entre autoimagem real e autoimagem ideal (p < 0,001), porém baixa concordância entre a autoimagem real e ideal e o estado nutricional para ambos os sexos. Maior prevalência de insatisfação corporal por excesso de peso foi detectada entre indivíduos com obesidade central e excesso de peso. Conclusão: Os resultados sugerem que a autoimagem corporal avaliada por meio da escala de silhuetas de Stunkard et al. tem pouca aplicabilidade como indicador do estado nutricional de indígenas khisêdjê do Parque Indígena do Xingu.

ABSTRACT: Objective: To determine the agreement between body self-image (based on the Stunkard figure rating scale) and nutritional status and to evaluate body satisfaction among the Khisêdjê indigenous people of Parque Indígena do Xingu (Xingu Indigenous Park). Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 131 natives aged 20 and older. Data on body image, body mass index and waist circumference were collected. Kappa statistics, χ2 (p < 0.05), crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and Student's t-test were used for data analysis. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was respectively 42 and 5.3%. The percentage of satisfaction with body profile was 61.8% with no difference between the sexes. There was good agreement between actual and ideal self-image (p < 0.001), but poor agreement between actual and ideal self-image with nutritional status for both sexes. A higher prevalence of body dissatisfaction due to overweight was detected in individuals with central obesity and overweight. Conclusion: The results suggest that body self-image evaluated by the Stunkard silhouette scale has little applicability as an indicator of nutritional status among the indigenous Khisêdjê of Xingu Indigenous Park.

Folate and Cancer: Is There Any Association?

Abstract Folate plays a central role in DNA synthesis and methylation, which are essential for DNA integrity maintenance and gene expression. Folate deficiency may lead to the incorporation of uracil into DNA and chromosome breaks, increasing the risk of cancer. However, conflicting evidence has been observed depending on the type of epidemiological study, dietary or circulating folate, and the type of cancer. New concern has arisen after a mandatory folic acid (FA) fortification program adopted for the prevention of neural tube defects in the United States, which suggested an increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer. In the present article, folate status and cancer are under review, and a discussion of the challenge of assessing folate status through food intake, supplement use, FA fortification programs, circulating folate, and the interaction of diet and the polymorphism of the enzyme involved in folate metabolism will be presented.

Genetic and environmental factors associated with vitamin B12 status in Amazonian children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and factors associated with vitamin B12 status in Amazonian children. DESIGN: Genetic risk score (GRS), socio-economic and nutritional status, and morbidity data were the independent variables used in multiple linear regression models to evaluate factors associated with vitamin B12 status in a population-based cross-sectional study. GRS was created by summing a number of known risk alleles for low serum vitamin B12. SETTING: Acrelândia, western Brazilian Amazon. SUBJECTS: Children (n 988) aged <10 years. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency (<150 pmol/l) was 4·2 (95 % CI 3·0, 5·6) % and was highest in children aged <24 months: 13·6 (95 % CI % 8·8, 19·7) %. For children <24 months, wealth index (ß=0·017, P=0·030) and animal protein intake (ß=0·219, P=0·003) were positively associated with vitamin B12 status. GRS (ß=-0·114, P<0·001) and serum homocysteine (ß=-0·049, P<0·001) were negatively associated. Among children aged ≥24 months, vitamin B12 status was positively associated with wealth index (ß=0·012, P<0·001), height-for-age Z-score (ß=0·024, P=0·033) and serum vitamin A (ß=0·089, P<0·001). Age≥60 months (ß=-0·118, P<0·001), GRS (ß=-0·048, P<0·001), maternal schooling <5 years (ß=-0·083, P<0·001), low intake of animal-derived foods (ß=-0·050, P=0·030), serum homocysteine (ß=-0·053, P<0·001), serum folate ≥23·6 nmol/l (ß=-0·055, P=0·012) and geohelminth infection (ß=-0·141, P=0·017) were negatively associated with vitamin B12 status. CONCLUSIONS: GRS, poverty, low intake of animal-derived foods, geohelminth infection, vitamin A and folate status were important factors associated with vitamin B12 status of children in our study.

Polymorphisms in genes involved in folate metabolism modify the association of dietary and circulating folate and vitamin B-6 with cervical neoplasia.

High folate intake has been suggested as an important factor in cancer prevention; however, previous studies on the relation among folate intake, serum folate, and plasma homocysteine (hcy) are controversial. We conducted a hospital-based, case-control study in Brazil investigating associations between dietary and circulating vitamins B-6 and B-12 and folate, hcy, genotypes of folate-metabolizing enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR C677T, A1298C), 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase (MTR A2756G), methionine synthase reductase (MTRR A66G), and reduced folate carrier (RFC1 G80A) and risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 1 (CIN1), 2 (CIN2), and 3 (CIN3). The study was composed by 453 controls, 140 CIN1, 126 CIN2, and 231 CIN3. We investigated the joint effects of genetic variants of folate-related genes using genetic risk scores (GRSs) by summing the number of risk alleles for CIN1 and CIN2+ (CIN2 and CIN3 cases). The OR (95% CI) for CIN1 and CIN2+ per each risk allele were 1.29 (1.01, 1.65) and 1.22 (1.01, 1.46), respectively. An association between folate intake and CIN2+ was observed only after stratification according to GRS: crude OR (95% CI) for lower folate intake and GRS ≥ 4 was 1.67 (0.92, 3.04) (P-trend < 0.001) compared with higher folate intake (above the median) and GRS ≤ 3. The CIN2+ risk of lower serum vitamin B-6 and GRS ≥ 4 was 2.14 (0.92, 5.02) (P-trend = 0.05) and lower serum folate (below the median) and GRS ≥ 4 was 0.49 (0.20, 1.17) (P-trend = 0.05) after adjustment for confounding variables and human papillomavirus infection. Our data suggest that polymorphisms in genes related to folate metabolism modify the association of dietary and circulating folate and vitamin B-6 with cervical neoplasia.

24 bp duplication of CHIT1 gene and determinants of human chitotriosidase activity among participants of EPISONO, a population-based cross-sectional study, São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether plasma chitotriosidase activity is related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) conditions and is correlated with biochemical variables present in the EPISONO database. This is the first study conducted in an epidemiological and nutritional transition country using subjects from the EPISONO population-based cross-sectional study. DESIGN AND METHODS: Chitotriosidase (CHIT) activity was determined by fluorimetric assay. OSA classification was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index. The correlations were investigated using a multiple regression linear model and statistical criteria, with CHIT as the dependent variable and correlated variables (from the EPISONO database) as independent variables, to access the contribution of each one to the variation in CHIT activity. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed when comparing the mean CHIT activities of different apnea groups. The prevalence of the CHIT1 24-bp duplication from patients with severe apnea was higher than in controls. In a multiple regression linear model, CHIT concentration was positively associated with age, creatine and testosterone. Age was the strongest predictor of CHIT variation, followed by gender, waist circumference and TNFα levels. The whole regression model explained 14% of the CHIT variation. CONCLUSION: Many variables are related to CHIT activity and show evidence of the multifactor and potentially synergistic character of this enzyme. In this study, we found that age, gender, TNFα, Hcy, sleep efficiency and waist circumference were responsible for approximately 14% of CHIT variation. Further studies are needed to elucidate additional parameters that may be related to CHIT activity.

Associations of dietary dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: modification by smoking.

Smoking has been positively and fruit and vegetable intake has been negatively associated with cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women worldwide. However, a lower consumption of fruits and reduced serum carotenoids have been observed among smokers. It is not known whether the smoking effect on the risk of cervical neoplasia is modified by a low intake of fruits and vegetables. The present study examined the combined effects of tobacco smoking and diet using a validated FFQ and serum carotenoid and tocopherol levels on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) risk in a hospital-based case-control study conducted in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2003 and 2005. The sample comprised 231 incident, histologically confirmed cases of CIN3 and 453 controls. A low intake ( ≤ 39 g) of dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits without tobacco smoking had a lesser effect on CIN3 (OR 1·14; 95 % CI 0·49, 2·65) than among smokers with higher intake ( ≥ 40 g; OR 1·83; 95 % CI 0·73, 4·62) after adjusting for confounders. The OR for the joint exposure of tobacco smoking and low intake of vegetables and fruits was greater (3·86; 95 % CI 1·74, 8·57; P for trend < 0·001) compared with non-smokers with higher intake after adjusting for confounding variables and human papillomavirus status. Similar results were observed for total fruit, serum total carotene (including ß-, α- and γ-carotene) and tocopherols. These findings suggest that the effect of nutritional factors on CIN3 is modified by smoking.

Assessing the validity of a food frequency questionnaire among low-income women in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil.

This study describes the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 93 low-income women (20-65 years), participating in a case-control study in São Paulo, Brazil. Two FFQ (FFQ1 and FFQ2, 12 months apart) and three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hR) were conducted between 2003 and 2004 to estimate dietary intake during the past year. The Pearson correlation coefficients (crude, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated) were used for comparisons between FFQ and 24hR. The agreement between the methods was further examined by the Bland-Altman analysis. For the assessment of long-term reliability, the energy-adjusted intra-class correlation coefficients were mostly around 0.40, but higher for vitamin A and folate (0.50-0.56). Energy-adjusted, attenuation-corrected Pearson validity correlations between FFQ and DR ranged from 0.30-0.54 for macronutrients to 0.20-0.48 for micronutrients, with higher value for calcium (0.75). There were small proportions of grossly misclassified nutrient intakes, while Bland-Altman plots indicated that the FFQ is accurate in assessing nutrient intake at a group level.

Assessing the validity of a food frequency questionnaire among low-income women in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil / Avaliação de validade de um questionário de freqüência alimentar em mulheres de baixa renda residentes em São Paulo, Brasil

This study describes the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 93 low-income women (20-65 years), participating in a case-control study in São Paulo, Brazil. Two FFQ (FFQ1 and FFQ2, 12 months apart) and three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hR) were conducted between 2003 and 2004 to estimate dietary intake during the past year. The Pearson correlation coefficients (crude, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated) were used for comparisons between FFQ and 24hR. The agreement between the methods was further examined by the Bland-Altman analysis. For the assessment of long-term reliability, the energy-adjusted intra-class correlation coefficients were mostly around 0.40, but higher for vitamin A and folate (0.50-0.56). Energy-adjusted, attenuation-corrected Pearson validity correlations between FFQ and DR ranged from 0.30-0.54 for macronutrients to 0.20-0.48 for micronutrients, with higher value for calcium (0.75). There were small proportions of grossly misclassified nutrient intakes, while Bland-Altman plots indicated that the FFQ is accurate in assessing nutrient intake at a group level.

Este estudo compara a validade de questionário de freqüência alimentar (QFA) em 93 mulheres participantes de estudo caso-controle em São Paulo, Brasil. Dois QFA (12 meses de intervalo entre QFA1 e QFA2) e 3 recordatórios de 24 horas (R24h) foram obtidos entre 2003 e 2004. Coeficientes de correlação de Pearson (brutos, ajustados pelas calorias totais e com correção intra-indivíduos) foram utilizados na comparação entre os métodos. A concordância entre QFA e R24h foi avaliada pela análise de Bland-Altman. Na avaliação de reprodutibilidade em longo prazo, coeficientes de correlação intraclasse ajustados pelas calorias totais foram próximos de 0,40, com valores maiores para vitamina A e folato (0,50-0,56). Coeficientes de correlação de Pearson ajustados pelas calorias totais e de-atenuados variaram de 0,30-0,54 para macronutrientes a 0,20-0,48 para micronutrientes, com valores maiores para cálcio (0,75). Houve uma pequena proporção de erro de classificação, e a análise de Bland-Altman sugere que o QFA é adequado para a classificação do consumo de nutrientes para o grupo de indivíduos estudado.