The consumption of ready-to-eat products in Brazil and its influence on the nutritional status

• Grant number: 13/08260-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 10, 2014
• End date: July 09, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Augusto Monteiro
• Grantee: Maria Laura da Costa Louzada
• Supervisor: Dariush Mozaffarian
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/18027-0 - Consumption of ultraprocessed food products in Brazil and its influence on diet quality and nutritional status., BP.DR

Abstract

This proposal consists of a research internship at the Harvard School of Public Health under the supervision of Professor Dariush Mozaffarian from the Department of Epidemiology. The objective of the research project is to evaluate the consumption of ready-to-eat food products in Brazil and its association with the nutritional status. The study comprises the analyses of data of 34.003 individuals aged 10 or more years old from the 2008-2009 Brazilian Household Budget Survey. The survey included the collection of demographic and socioeconomic data, the directly measure of weight and height and the evaluation - for the first time in Brazil - of individual food intake. The contribution of ready-to-eat products to the total energy intake will be evaluated and multiple regression analyses will be carried out based on a conceptual model to evaluate the independent association between the consumption of ready-to-eat products and obesity. The internship at The Harvard School of Public Health will be relevant for the improvement of my PhD project since their researchers have great tradition and experience in nutritional epidemiology, in the management of individual consumption data and in studies that assess its association with health outcomes, including excessive weight gain and obesity. The work plan goes from January 2014 to June 2014 and aims at training in food consumption analyses, statistical analyses and scientific writing, the attendance of courses as a guest at the University, the participation in scientific events like seminars and the development of a manuscript for publication on a peer-reviewed journal. (AU)