Food Neophobia among Brazilian Children: Prevalence and Questionnaire Score Development

This study aims to create and validate a score to classify food neophobia among Brazilian children (from the ages of 4 to 11 years) and investigate the prevalence of food neophobia. This descriptive cross-sectional population-based study is conducted following three steps: (i) the application of an instrument to identify food neophobia in Brazilian children by their caregivers; (ii) the instrument’s score definition; and (iii) the evaluation and characterization of the national prevalence of food neophobia among Brazilian children. The scores were categorized into three levels, based on the tertial approximation: low, moderate, and high. The study had 1112 participants, and the prevalence of high food neophobia was observed in 33.4% of Brazilian children. The prevalence of food neophobia allowed us to identify this behavior in Brazilian children and better understand the population. Boys were significantly more neophobic than girls. The general neophobia score and domains did not significantly differ between Brazilian regions and age groups. It is worrying that food neophobia did not decrease with advancing age. The score for the complete instrument with 25 items, or the 3 domains, makes its use practical. It can be used to assess neophobia with more caution, evaluate the most neophobic children, and enable more targeted professional interventions to promote healthier and sustainable eating habits.

Health surveillance and development of children with congenital Zika Virus syndrome: an integrative literature review

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify scientific knowledge about the attention to health surveillance and development of Brazilian children under the age of three years involving the Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) Syndrome. Data sources: This is an integrative literature review of primary studies with Brazilian children under three years of age from 2015 to 2019. The searches were carried out in the databases Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), US National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), SCOPUS and Web of Science. It was carried out by crossing the keywords in English (child, child development and Zika virus) and in Portuguese (criança, desenvolvimento infantil e Zika vírus), with the combination of the Boolean operator “AND”. Data synthesis: The knowledge produced is related to the specific health and development problems of children affected by the Congenital ZIKV Syndrome, with clinical characteristics, care demands, multiprofessional performance, health monitoring and surveillance needs. Conclusions: This integrative review synthesized scientific knowledge by adding aspects that reinforce the relevance of appropriate approaches to assess and care for children, linked to the engagement of caregivers, the need to document, evaluate and track the situations of children in early childhood and long-term, management coordination of care and its challenges in the context of primary health care.

The Polymorphism rs2293855 MTMR9 Gene and Genetic Score Are Associated With Higher Atherogenic Risk in Brazilian Schoolchildren

Purpose: Evaluate the associations of FTO (rs9939609), MC4R (rs17782313), MTMR9 (rs2293855), and the genetic score with atherogenic risk in Brazilian children. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 544 children aged 4 to 9 years old. We obtained sociodemographic and lifestyle data by questionnaires, and biological sample (DNA) through oral swab. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) FTO (rs9939609), MC4R (rs17782313), and MTMR9 (rs2293855) were identified by the system taqman SNP genotyping and evaluated the obesity-related genetic risk score. Blood samples were collected for the lipid profile analysis (serum total cholesterol, HDLc, LDL-c, triglycerides). The atherogenic indexes (Castelli I and II indexes, atherogenic coefficient - AC, lipoprotein combination index - LCI and plasma atherogenic index - AIP) were calculated. We compared the distributions of outcomes (lipid profile and atherogenic indexes) by genotype categories using multivariable linear regression. Results: Children with AG/AA genotypes in the polymorphism MTMR9 (rs2293855), had lower HDL-c level and higher TC/HDL-c, LDL-c/HDL-c ratios, and AC. Those with one or more polymorphisms (FTO rs9939609, MC4R rs17782313, and MTMR9 rs2293855) in the genetic risk score had lower HDL-c and higher TC/HDL-c, AC, LCI, and AIP. Conclusion: The risk allele (AG/AA) of the MTMR9 (rs2293855) and the higher obesity-related genetic risk score were positively associated with higher atherogenic risk in Brazilian children.

Breaking nation: Brazilian transnational children’s construction of belonging in bilingual classrooms

This article explores Brazilian children’s belonging-making in Portuguese–English bilingual classrooms in the United States. Drawing on ethnographic data collected over fifteen months, we found that the participating Brazilian children frequently referenced Brazil in their classrooms. Through these references, the children forged their own conceptions of what belonging means and created spaces of belonging in their bilingual classrooms. Connections to Brazil were established through the evocation of memories, allusions to loved ones physically there, and by claiming identities as Portuguese speakers. We argue that the children’s actions and narratives had the effect of disrupting the tenets of traditional nations: common culture, territory, and language.