Dietary self-perception by women beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Dias, Marina de Paula Mendonça
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Reis, Dayanna Magalhães dos, Azevedo, Clarisse Vasconcelos de, Carioca, Antonio Augusto Ferreira, Azevedo, Daniela Vasconcelos de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Nutrição
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/12756
• topic: Food; Perception; Primary health care; Social vulnerability; Women; Alimentos; Percepção; Atenção primária à saúde; Vulnerabilidade social; Mulheres

Objective To evaluate the association between dietary self-perception and socioeconomic, health, diet, and lifestyle variables of socially vulnerable women in primary health care. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a Primary Health Care Unit in Fortaleza, Ceará, with 158 women beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família (Family Aid) Program. We applied a questionnaire containing socioeconomic and health variables, food knowledge, and self-perception. Pearson’s chi-square test, with a 5% significance level, was adopted to investigate possible associations between women’s food self-perception and other variables. Results The women had a mean age of 31.2 years. Most had a household income of less than one minimum wage (75.9%), a high school education level (53.8%), were overweight (67.7%), did not engage in physical activity (72.8%), and received dietary guidance (51.9%). Negative dietary self-perception was reported by 57.0% of the sample. Women who did not engage in physical activity had a higher frequency of negative dietary self-perception (p=0.007). Conclusion Most women showed negative dietary self-perception. The variable “physical activity” was positively associated with dietary self-perception. Knowing how women perceive their diet and which factors are associated with their food choices can help health professionals in their daily conduct in health care units.