Dietary pattern and educational intervention on functional foods in the elderly of the family health strategy in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

Abstract

The objective was to identify the dietary pattern and carry out an educational intervention on functional foods (PA) with the elderly. The income, education, sex and age of 345 elderly people assisted by the Family Health Strategy were researched. The 24-hour recall was applied to 10% of the individuals, randomly selected, and to all the Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (QFCA) and Knowledge Questionnaire about PA, before and after the educational intervention. The statistical tests used were c2 (Chi-square), Student's t and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, with a significance level of 5%. It was observed that 67.8% of the elderly were between 60 and 75 years old, predominantly female; 52.2% did not attend school and had a monthly income of 1 and 2 minimum wages. For the dietary pattern, the foods included daily in the diet were from the cereal group (bread - 95.5%; rice - 92.2%), followed by meats, eggs and legumes, especially beans ( 61.7%). The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables was low. It was observed that the elderly showed inadequacy in the dietary pattern, with the presence of foods rich in simple carbohydrates and fats, and deficient in micronutrients and dietary fiber. Before the intervention, 94.9% had no knowledge about PA and, after, 6.5% remained in this condition, demonstrating the effectiveness of the intervention. It was concluded that the elderly presented a food pattern with low diversification and preservation of the habit of consumption of rice and beans. The intervention performed was effective, as it enabled the acquisition of knowledge about PA by the majority of the elderly