Health Academy Program: association of nutritional knowledge and anthropometric parameters

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.20184203728743

Abstract

Excess weight is strongly associated with the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. Public policies in primary health care should be taken for combating and preventing such diseases, for example, the Health Academy Program. Although the Health Academy Program’s goal is to promote health in different approaches, such as physical exercise, eating and behavior, information and knowledge about food and nutrition does not necessarily result in better indicators of nutritional status. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the nutritional status and its association with the nutritional knowledge of volunteers assisted by the Health Academy Program. Ninety-two subjects were submitted to anthropometric evaluation (weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference) and nutritional knowledge, using a Nutritional Knowledge Scale. Excess weight was found in 65% of the subjects and 70% of them presented an increased risk for development of cardiovascular diseases. Most of the subjects presented moderate nutritional knowledge, disregarding nutritional status, and a high amount knowledge was seen only in overweight subjects. No significant association between the analyzed parameters was found. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that most of the subjects evaluated had an increased risk for development of diseases associated to excess bodyweight, and also that nutritional knowledge was not significantly related to anthropometric parameters.