IMPACT OF THE AMAMENTA E ALIMENTA BRASIL STRATEGY ON CHILDREN’S FOOD CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Amamenta e Alimenta Brasil Strategy on the food consumption of children under two years old, assisted by Primary Health Care in a municipality in the Northeast region.

Methodology: This is a community trial, with pre- and post-intervention analysis. The intervention consisted of implementing the strategy in health teams, through a participatory and contextualized methodology. To analyze the impacts of the action on children's nutrition, food consumption markers were applied to their mothers, before (N=89) and after (N=103) the intervention. The comparison of indicators was made using chi-square tests, considering values ​​of p<0.05.

Results: After the intervention, the consumption of vegetables increased by 33.2% (p<0.001) and the consumption of stuffed biscuits and sweets reduced by 32.6% (p<0.001). There was also an increase in the number of mothers who reported having received support and guidance from health teams about infant nutrition.

Conclusion: It is suggested that the changes observed in eating patterns were influenced by more targeted and contextualized support and guidance provided by the health teams to the children's mothers after the intervention. Such results strengthen this public strategy and encourage its expansion.