Qualitative analysis of the diet of a probabilistic sample of schoolchildren from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, using the Previous Day Food Questionnaire

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública 2010-07, Vol.26 (7), p.1355-1365
• Main Authors: Assis, Maria Alice Altenburg de, Calvo, Maria Cristina Marino, Kupek, Emil, Assis Guedes de Vasconcelos, Francisco de, Campos, Vanessa Caroline, Machado, Manuella, Costa, Filipe Ferreira da, de Andrade, Dalton Francisco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brazil; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet - standards; Diet Records; Diet Surveys; Energy Intake; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Male; Nutritional Requirements; Private Sector; Public Sector; PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; Qualitative Research; Reproducibility of Results; Schools; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards
• ISSN: 0102-311X; 1678-4464; 1678-4464; 0102-311X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0102-311X2010000700014

A qualitative evaluation of the diet of a probabilistic sample of 7-10 year old schoolchildren (n=1,232) from Florianópolis (southern Brazil) was carried out by analyzing compliance with recommendations from the Brazilian Food Guidelines. The strengths and limitations of the Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PDFQ) are also presented. Frequencies of intake were defined as how many times per day the food group was reported on the PDFQ. The percentages of schoolchildren who met the minimum recommendations and who ate foods that were not recommended in the guidelines were compared for boys versus girls, private versus public school and by family income level. Although most of the children complied with the guidelines regarding consumption of meat/fish, dry beans, sweets, and eating three meals and two snacks, only 6.5% of the children met the recommendations for cereals, and 15% for fruit and vegetables. The PDFQ was confirmed as a practical and cost-effective method for the evaluation of compliance with health promotion targets.