Epidemiologistas que estudam câncer têm observado que a sua prevalência no mundo tem aumentado de maneira significativa no último século. Acredita-se que este resultado está relacionado, entre outros aspectos, com a industrialização e a urbanização ocorridas neste período. De fato, a morbi-mortalidade associada ao câncer observada em países desenvolvidos é maior do que em países em desenvolvimento. Além disso, algumas formas específicas de câncer, como o de cólon e reto, próstata e mama feminina, são mais freqüentes em países desenvolvidos, enquanto outras, como de estômago, esôfago e colo de útero têm maior incidência nos países em desenvolvimento. Padrões distintos de câncer também são observados entre indivíduos que emigram para um novo país ou região. Com base em estudos epidemiológicos, analisou-se a relação entre câncer e nutrição, e algumas modificações na alimentação que podem prevenir alguns tipos de cânceres.

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine which of the seven selected equations used to predict basal metabolic rate most accurately estimated the measured basal metabolic rate. Methods. Twenty-eight adult women with type 2 diabetes mellitus participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were measured as well as body composition (by absorptiometry dual X-ray emission) and basal metabolic rate (by indirect calorimetry); basal metabolic rate was also estimated by prediction equations. Results. There was a significant difference between the measured and the estimated basal metabolic rate determined by the FAO/WHO/UNU (P value < 0.021) and Huang et al. (P value ≤ 0.005) equations. Conclusion. The calculations using Owen et al's. equation were the closest to the measured basal metabolic rate.

A cross-sectional study carried out among 418 adolescents between ten and 19 years old at a private school in the city of São Paulo in 1998. The objective of the study was to evaluate the proposed thresholds for diagnosing overweight among Brazilian adolescents. The percentage body fat was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The cutoff points used for excess body fat were 25% for boys and 30% for girls.

Objective: To compare Brazilian and international criteria for assessing the nutritional status of schoolchildren.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 160 schoolchildren from a public school in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 91 boys and 69 girls, aged 7 to 9 full years. Body mass index (BMI) for sex and age was used to diagnose underweight, healthy weight and overweight, according to Cole et al., Conde & Monteiro and the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Student's t test, the chi-square test, the Kendall concordance test and the chi-square testfor tendencies were used to analyze the data; graphs were plotted demonstrating BMI by age, according to the nutritional diagnosis at each set of criteria.Results: Mean BMI did not differ by sex (t = 0.2845, p = 0.7789). According to the first two sets of criteria, none of the children were underweight, whereas, according to the WHO criteria, one of the boys was underweight. The Kendall test did not demonstrate any significant difference between the three sets of criteria (coefficient of concordance for boys was W < 0.0004 and for girls it was W < 0.0008, with p = 1.00). There was a greater proportion of assessments that did not agree among the boys, at 15.13%, while for the girls this figure was 13.04%. A significant tendency was observed for the difference between the criteria to increase with age among the boys (chi-square for tendencies = 6.552, p = 0.0105), which was evident on the graph and was independent of nutritional status. Conclusions:The criteria used here converged on the same result, without discrepancies between them or advantages for either. Nevertheless, among the boys there was a significant tendency for the diagnoses to differentiate and BMI to increase with age, which is a warning to take care when choosing among criteria.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2008;84(6):550-555: Nutritional assessment, nutritional status, diagnostic methods, body mass index, children.

ResumoObjetivo: Comparar critério nacional e internacional para avaliação do estado nutricional de escolares.Métodos: Estudo transversal incluindo 160 crianças, 91 meninos e 69 meninas, de 7 a 9 anos completos, alunos de escola pública da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Utilizou-se o índice de massa corporal (IMC) por gênero e idade para diagnosticar baixo peso, peso adequado e excesso de peso, empregando-se critérios propostos por Cole et al., Conde & Monteiro e pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS).Foram aplicados teste t de Student, qui-quadrado, concordância de Kendall, qui-quadrado de tendência e gráficos demonstrando a evolução do IMC, segundo diagnóstico nutricional obtido com cada critério.Resultados: As médias de IMC não diferiram entre sexos (t = 0,2845 e p = 0,7789). Segundo critérios propostos por autores, não houve baixo peso, enquanto que para os critérios da OMS, ocorreu um caso de baixo peso entre meninos. O teste de Kendall não demonstrou diferença significativa entre os três critérios (coeficiente de concordância: meninos = W < 0,0004, meninas = W < 0,0008 e p = 1,00). As discordâncias na avaliação predominaram entre meninos, atingindo 15,13%, sendo 13,04% para meninas. Observou-se significativa tendência crescente de diferenciação dos critérios com a idade dos meninos (qui-quadrado de tendência = 6,552 e p = 0,0105), evidenciada no gráfico e independente do estado nutricional. Conclusões:Os critérios utilizados convergem para o mesmo resultado, não havendo discrepâncias ou vantagens entre eles.Entretanto, para meninos, houve significativa tendência de diferenciação nos diagnósticos e evolução do IMC por idade, alertando para cuidado na opção dos diferentes critérios.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2008;84(6):550-555: Avaliação nutricional, estado nutricional, métodos de diagnóstico, índice de massa corporal, crianças. AbstractObjective: To compare Brazilian and international criteria for assessing the nutritional status of schoolchildren.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 160 schoolchildren from a public school in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 91 boys and 69 girls, aged 7 to 9 full years. Body mass index (BMI) for According to the first two sets of criteria, none of the children were underweight, whereas, according to the WHO criteria, one of the boys was underweight. The Kendall test did not demonstrate any significant difference between the three sets of criteria (coefficient of concordance for boys was W < 0.0004 and for girls it was W < 0.0008, with p = 1.00). There was a greater proportion of assessments that did not agree among the boys, at 15.13%, while for the girls this figure was 13.04%. A significant tendency was observed for the difference between the criteria to increase with age among the boys (chi-square for tendencies = 6.552, p = 0.0105), which was evident on the graph and was independent of nutritional status. Conclusions:The criteria used here converged on the same result, without discrepancies between them or advantages for either. Nevertheless, among the boys there wa...