A repercussão da Educação Nutricional sobre o estado nutricional de alunos acompanhados na APAE.

Abstract

Nutritional assessment returns to the evaluator notions that emerge regarding the health status of an individual. Nutrition education is a tool that can cooperate with the prevention of disease to health, to provide improvements and to assist in the maintenance of health. Genetic disorders, syndromes and disorders such as Down syndrome, Autism and Cerebral Palsy, imply interference in the general health of individuals, and such interference can reach issues facing food and body composition. The APAE is a philanthropic institution dedicated to the comprehensive care of people with genetic changes, reaching improvement of health in all settings, from the clinical to the social, through the cooperation of various professionals such as speech therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, educators, physical educators, among others. In view of the above, this work aims to evaluate the impact of nutrition education on nutritional profile of students from APAE of a municipality of Paraíba. The study was conducted with the school enrolled in the APAE of a municipality of Paraíba. At the beginning of the research were evaluated 43 school members and at the end have been evaluated, 33, because of cancellations, changes of city and other factors. Anthropometric assessment was performed at the beginning and at the end of the search. The anthropometric assessment was made of the measurement of weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (CC), as well as knee height and arm circumference when necessary to estimate height and weight. The educational actions were applied every two weeks for approximately eight months. At the end of the research, the reduction in the percentage of malnutrition in the female gender was from 4.44% and of obesity of 6,66%. The percentage of eutrofia increased by 6,67% and that of overweight 4,45%. In the male gender also was observed reduction in the percentage of malnutrition (holds 12.89%) and increase in eutrofia (from 4.44%), however it was verified an increase in the percentage of overweight (0,67%) and obesity (7,78%). The waist hip remained unchanged in the male gender, however the unfavorable results were obtained in the female gender, as there was a reduction in the percentage of low-risk, while moderate risk and high risk increased. There were observed beneficial changes in the profile anthropometric of the school, thus it is believed that educational activities are effective tools to improve the nutritional status of students attend APAE, however also, there were unfavourable results that can be related to the low educational level observed in the parents and/or guardians, in situations of vulnerability and low socioeconomic conditions as well as the perception that the changes in genetic, physiological, metabolic, and drug use may have direct interference in the nutritional status, highlighting as well also to the contributions of the clinical care individualized to guarantee the health of individuals.