AIMS: To describe the methodological and operational aspects of a health survey, conducted by means of a multidisciplinary research consortium.METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted with individuals 18 years or older, living in the urban area of the municipality of Rio Grande, in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The sampling was probabilistic, with census tracts as the primary sample unit. The research instrument consisted of a standardized and previously tested questionnaire, with closed questions, applied by face-to-face in dwellings. A brief questionnaire was administered to 10.5% of subjects for quality control purposes. Fieldwork lasted from April to July 2016, and the study was approved by an ethics committee.RESULTS: Of the 70 sampled census tracts, 711 households were randomly selected, comprising 1,429 eligible individuals. Overall, 1,300 individuals (91.0%) of 676 households (95.1%) answered the questionnaire. Losses and refusals were more prevalent for males and downtown's sectors. The questionnaire reproducibility was satisfactory (mean kappa = 0.80).CONCLUSIONS: The main methodological aspects of a multidisciplinary research consortium were pointed out, which may be of interest to other researchers. We highlight the importance of these type of study to yield information on various health conditions of the population.

RESUMO: Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi associar a prática de caminhada e de atividades físicas moderadas a vigorosas (AFMV) no lazer à percepção dos ambientes construído, natural e social em adultos e idosos de um município do Sul do Brasil. Método: Tratou-se de estudo transversal de base populacional, realizado na zona urbana do município do Rio Grande, RS. Para a avaliação da prática de atividade física (AF), fez-se uso do Questionário Internacional de AF (International Physical Activity Questionnaire - IPAQ) e, para avaliar a percepção do ambiente, utilizou-se uma escala modificada do instrumento Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS). Realizaram-se as análises estatísticas por meio de regressão de Poisson, considerando-se o efeito do desenho amostral. Resultados: Dos 1 . 429 indivíduos elegíveis, entrevistaram-se 1.290 (90,3%). Apenas 18,8% praticavam caminhada no lazer e 23,4% praticavam AFMV. Obtiveram associação à caminhada e às AFMV as seguintes variáveis: o recebimento de convites de amigos para realizar atividade física no bairro e a realização de passeios com cachorros. Para a prática de caminhada, também houve associação à segurança no bairro e à presença de áreas verdes e de instalações para a prática de AF. Para a AFMV, também houve associação ao recebimento de convites de parentes para realizar atividade física. Conclusões: Os resultados do presente estudo demonstraram que o suporte social, o acesso a localidades propícias e a boa percepção de segurança estiveram associados à prática de atividade física, sendo mais proeminentes para a caminhada e para o sexo feminino.

Nutritional status and feeding habits of college of a northern university of Rio Grande do Sul ABSTRACTThe objective of this research was to identify the relationship between nutritional status and feeding habits and physical activity of young colleges. The experimental subjects were young academics aged between 17 a 24 years-old, students from various undergraduate courses UFSM of Palmeira das Missões/RS, which underwent anthropometric measurements and completed a questionnaire about their habits. The results observed in the current study reveal that the studied sample has a considerable number of individuals with inadequate body constitution, 26.4% of the study population was the body mass index (BMI) was above the recommended, and is 30.19% with the percentage body fat rated as below average (worse than average), bad and very bad . Additonally, have unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity practice and routinely ingests alcohol. The present data are noteworthy, because the principle of developing of many chronic diseases are the result of bad habits and accumulation of excessive fat.

Healthy eating habits are related to a lower prevalence of chronic diseases. Objective: Verify the relationship between eating behaviors and self-perceived health (SPH) in young, middle-aged, and older adults. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 52166 Brazilian adults aged 18 years and over. The dependent variable was positive SPH, whereas the independent variable was the eating behavior (exchanging lunch for snacks; exchanging dinner for snacks; intake of beans, ultra-processed food the previous day, fruits, vegetables, and processed juices/soft drinks). Poisson regression with robust adjustment for variance was used in the data analysis. Results: The relationship between eating behaviors and SPH was similar between genders. However, a more evident relationship was observed among young adults, regarding the age group. The consumption of fruits and vegetables was most clearly associated with SPH among the investigated behaviors. Furthermore, the higher the number of positive eating behaviors, the higher the prevalence of positive SPH in both genders and all age groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study reinforce the importance of healthy eating behaviors for health and indicate a more direct relationship between these and positive SPH in young adults and as a habit of regularly consuming fruits and vegetables.

A prática da educação nutricional no ambiente escolar está presente no Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar-PNAE, sendo esta responsabilidade atribuída ao profissional nutricionista responsável pela merenda escolar do município e do território em execução. Ainda são poucos os relatos de experiência, assim como a execução de pesquisas na temática. O presente relato narra uma experiência exitosa iniciada no noroeste gaúcho em parceria com alunos do curso Normal local. O presente projeto realizou atividades de educação nutricional com préescolares através de métodos lúdicopedagógicos. Até o presente momento participaram do trabalho aproximadamente 50 crianças com idades entre 3 a 5 anos, das Escolas Municipais de Educação Infantil-EMEI. Cabe salientar que o intuito do projeto é contemplar com atividades todos os escolares da rede municipal de ensino do município envolvido.