This cross-sectional study determined the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the lipid profile and insulin sensitivity of 119 perinatally HIV-infected Brazilian patients aged 6-19 years. Inadequate high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) concentrations were observed in 81.4% of patients. High concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and triglycerides (TG) were found in 33.9%, 9.7% and 35.6% of patients, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in mean concentrations of TC (P=0.004), HDL-c (P=0.015) and LDL-c (P=0.028) among children (<10 years), early adolescents (10-14 years) and late adolescents (15-19 years). Children presented the highest mean concentrations of TC and LDL-c, and patients in late adolescence presented the lowest concentrations of HDL-c. Insulin sensitivity, assessed by the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) index, was diagnosed in 16.7% of patients, with a statistically higher proportion (P=0.034) of insulin-resistant children (33.3%) compared with adolescents (12.5%). There was a statistically significant association between TG concentrations and use of ART regimens containing protease inhibitors (PI) (P=0.0003). Children presented a higher prevalence of insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia compared with adolescents, suggesting that ART, especially PIs, may lead to metabolic complications.

Objective: Although the benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have been documented, it is thought to be associated to disturbances in nutritional status. These disturbances may occur early in life and are poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between anthropometric parameters and body composition of perinatally HIV-infected children and adolescents under HAART, according to use and non-use of protease inhibitors. Design: Cross-sectional study undertaken between August and December 2007. Demographic, socio-economic, clinical and anthropometric data were collected from the patients. The χ 2 test, Wilcoxon rank sum test (Mann-Whitney) and t test were used to compare the following variables between users and non-users of protease inhibitors: age, gender, per capita income, HAART exposure, antiretroviral therapy adopted in the last three years, CD4 count, viral load, pubertal stage, nutritional status (BMI-for-age, height-for-age, waist and neck circumferences, triceps skinfold thickness, body fat percentage, upper-arm fat area and upper-arm muscle area). Setting: An HIV/AIDS out-patient clinic, São Paulo, Brazil. Subjects: One hundred and fifteen patients (children and adolescents aged 6-19 years). Results: Protease inhibitors users had a higher prevalence of stunting (P = 0·03), lower BMI (P = 0·03) and lower percentage of body fat (P = 0·05) compared with non-users. There was no statistically significant difference between the HAART regimens and measurements of fat adiposity. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that children and adolescents under protease inhibitors are at higher risk of growth and development deviations, but not at risk of body fat redistribution.

Objective To describe the development and validation of a workshop protocol for the implementation of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population in primary healthcare units. Methods This descriptive study was developed in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and it involved 20-25 professionals in the experimentation phase and 12 experts in the content validity phase. The workshop protocol was developed according to three theoretical references: Dietary Guidelines, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice and Critical Reflexive Methodology. The protocol consisted of four 4-hour modules, 16 activities in 16 hours. The activities matrix was composed of three axes: (a) organizational strategies, (b) dietary guideline comprehension and (c) dietary guideline implementation. For the validity analysis, the expert panel assessed clarity, relevance and theoretical representativeness. Content validity index was calculated, and adequate activities scored >0.80. The proportion of experts who recognized the presence of the theoretical framework in the activities was calculated. Results All 16 proposed activities obtained a score greater than the established cut-off point, both for clarity and relevance. For theoretical representativeness analysis, the dietary guidelines reached higher scores on the (b) and (c) axes of the protocol and was less recognized on the (a) axis, whose highest score was for the Critical Reflexive Methodology. Interprofessional Collaborative Practice presented a higher score on the (c) axis and a lower one on the (b) axis. Conclusion The protocol was considered appropriate for its purpose and with potential application in the different scenarios of primary health care in Brazil.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the nutritional status of children and adolescents with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). One hundred and eighteen subjects aged 6-19 years attending an outpatient clinic in São Paulo city were involved in the study. The following anthropometric measurements were assessed: weight, height, waist circumference and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness. One (0.9%) adolescent was diagnosed with abdominal obesity based on waist circumference measurement; three (2.5%) adolescents were obese based on subscapular skinfold thickness. According to the body mass index, the population studied was mainly eutrophic. The prevalence of fat redistribution, a characteristic of patients with HIV/AIDS under HAART, was low. We advise the development of further studies to assess the nutritional status of children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS using anthropometric measurements as well as computed tomography to detect fat redistribution.