Viver para comer ou comer para viver: Os significados e os desafios do comer bem entre pessoas com problemas de saúde

Abstract

Chronic non-communicable diseases, including diabetes and hypertension, were responsible for 72% of deaths recorded in Brazil in 2007. The feeding of the population in many cases is inadequate, marked by a diet low consumption of healthy foods and the significant food consumption industrialized and high in fat and sugars. The habit of eating, that includes economic and cultural conditions sometimes becomes a challenge for individuals who participate in health care. This work aimed to identify the meaning and challenges of food for participants Hiperdia program in a health center of Itaqui, Brazil. For data collection were interviewed 55 participants of Hiperdia program in Itaqui’s Health Center, using a sociocultural questionnaire and the questionnaire of food intake markers, prepared by SISVAN, directed to the frequency of consumption of food and with the causes and consequences related to their economic conditions and habits. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. It was found that 75% of the women interviewed held food preparation at home, while only 38% of men did, allowing infer a prevailing trend on these assuming the role of caregivers while strategic to implement adequate food. Regarding the consumption of green salad, only 7 respondents reported consumption of this food at most four times a week, and in this same period, 19 of the respondents highlighted have consumed soft drinks, highlighting the prevalence of food that deserves attention. Regarding the mate, 60% of respondents consume this drink often revealing this drink as an icon of the local culture. The number of meals during the day was predominantly one to two, mainly by economic conditions and the working hours. The adequacy of diets, only 43,6% of respondents claimed to have relatively ease in consuming foods recommended by the nutritionist, frame winning emphasis by the predominance of the difficulty in following the prescribed diets (56% of cases), as well as its consumption non recommended foods, due to the customs and even socioeconomic status. However, it was possible to identify the meanings of food, located in a more pronounced way in satiety to work routines and how cultural expression; and challenges for food, which stand out on the financial and pathological restrictions.