SEMI-QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE POLYPHENOL CONTENT IN THE DIET OF SCHOOLCHILDREN IN THE JUNDIAÍ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SYSTEM BEFORE AND AFTER EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Introduction: In the face of dietary changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, classified according to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population and the NOVA classification, has been increasing at different ages, especially among younger people. Studies suggest that diets rich in these foods are associated with the prevalence of overweight, obesity, chronic non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this study seeks to intervene in the diet of elementary school students, proposing a lower consumption of these industrialized foods and a higher consumption of polyphenols, micronutrients which, in addition to improving insulin resistance and reducing the risk of DM-2 and/or its progression, also contribute to improving the lipid profile, lowering blood pressure and body weight in individuals who have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Objective: To evaluate the polyphenol content and the impact of an educational talk on the diet of EMEB children using food diaries (DAs) and data from the Phenol - Explorer platform. Materials and Methods: Semi-quantitative before-and-after intervention study with 8 to 12-year-old students from the participating EMEBs in Jundiaí, mainly comparing polyphenol consumption through the use of food diaries. Results: 168 diaries were collected in the first application (pre-intervention), 103 in the second application (post-intervention) and 96 in the third application (post-intervention). The data collected showed a reduced intake of polyphenols, since the highest average in the descriptive analysis of the consumption of legumes and vegetables was 0.67 portions in the first application; 0.79 in the second application and 0.49 in the third application. Meanwhile, consumption of refined carbohydrates (white bread, cake, cookies and toast) although significantly higher, decreased after the intervention, as the average was 1.62 portions in the first application; 1.5 in the second and 1.05 in the third application. In a comparative analysis with repeated measures between the first and second application of the DAs (before and after the educational talk), there was no change in the intake of polyphenols, nor was there any significant change in the comparison between the first and third application of the DAs. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there was no significant improvement in polyphenol consumption after the educational intervention. However, it can be seen that in the pre-intervention the intake of these micronutrients was already lower than the healthy eating standard, a fact that may be related to socio-economic factors and low dietary education, which is reflected in the drop in adherence to filling in food diaries. Finally, we conclude that educational talks like this are necessary and should be routinely encouraged to improve children's dietary education, since we were able to intervene positively in this target audience.