Avaliação das práticas de alimentação complementar nos dois primeiros anos de vida no Brasil: instrumento e indicadores

Abstract

Since 2000s, complementary feeding (CF) is being highlighted in the area of food and nutrition policy. It can be observed, in Brazil and abroad, efforts to assess CF indicators, but it is still necessary some advances to create indicators that demonstrate adequately relevant markers of CF, as well as instruments that will enable comparable studies in both national and international levels. The aim of this study is to present indicators and a questionnaire to assess CF among Brazilian children aged up 2 years of age. Based in a theoretical model designed in the process of project development, it were systematized the recommendations about the key concepts from the model, that then became empirical measures (indicators), which guided the construction of a tool for data collection. Two meetings were held with CF experts to hear about the indicators and the instrument and four pre-tests were held with the target population. The study presents 19 indicators related to opportunity, nutritional adequacy and safety of CF, three of them being optional. It also brings a questionnaire that allows calculating the proposed indicators and can be applied in surveys by phone or by face-to-face interviews or, still, in activities of monitoring the food intake at the health services routine. Further research is needed to validate this tool