Adesão à alimentação escolar e estado nutricional de escolares entre 4 e 9 anos de idade matriculados na rede municipal de ensino de Cuité, Paraíba.

Abstract

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is the oldest government program in the area of food and nutrition and aims to promote food and nutrition security and the Human Right to Adequate Food, offering quality food to improve the nutritional condition of school and contribute to the academic performance and reducing truancy. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the nutritional status of schoolchildren and know adhesion to the school feeding program. For that was held in 2013, a study of cross-cutting nature of census type which consists of making a quick population estimate - Nutrition Calling. The sample consisted of 618 schoolchildren aged between 4 and 9 years of age enrolled in schools town in the urban area of Cuité/PB. Were collected information Socioeconomic, anthropometric and practice of school feeding. To determine the nutritional status of schoolchildren were used percentiles of weight for age (W/A) and height for age (H/A), from the curves of the World Health Organization. For the schoolchildren participating in the research study, Sponsors signed a consent form. The results showed that a significant portion of schoolchildren in Cuité is at risk for malnutrition indices from H/A and W/A (8,6% and 9,9%, respectively). However, we also observed that 8.3% are overweight and that this group relates buy more food in the period they are in school compared to malnourished. It can be noticed that the condition of obesity in this town resembles more the prevalence of countryside region of northeastern Brazil than urban. Although the students showed good adherence to PNAE (63,8% to strong adhesion and 13,8 % non membership), mainly by the group of malnourished , they refer not like some foods served in school . Given this, it is assumed that adherence may be strongly related to social status and not necessarily with an efficient management of the program. The "taste of necessity" predominates over pleasure in food , and this fact may develop aversions to preparations that are served throughout school life. Given the above, some aspects can be improved in order to contribute to 9 greater adherence to the program, especially those that promote changes in the type of food offered and the Human Right Nutrition School, awakening on this choice and pleasure in consuming the "School food”.