Publications by authors named "Cristiano Boccolini"

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge to global health. In the context of an overwhelmed healthcare system and the rising demand for alternative strategies to manage stress and anxiety, this study aims to investigate and analyze the use of Integrative and Complementary Practices (ICP) in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing their importance in promoting health and well-being. We conducted a cross-sectional study among n = 12,136 Brazilian adults predominantly female, white, under 40 years of age and with a predominantly higher education level between August 24 and December 16, 2020, to assess the use of ICP.

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Introduction: Epidemiology is considered both a field of research and a methodological approach within the broader health sciences. It aims to understand health-related events' causes and effects and provide the evidence necessary to prevent disease and implement effective control and prevention strategies. One of the main focuses of epidemiology is identifying the determinant factors in the health situation of populations since health-related anomalies are not randomly distributed among people.

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Objectives: The control chart is a classic statistical technique in epidemiology for identifying trends, patterns, or alerts. One meaningful use is monitoring and tracking Infant Mortality Rates, which is a priority both domestically and for the World Health Organization, as it reflects the effectiveness of public policies and the progress of nations. This study aims to evaluate the applicability and performance of this technique in Brazilian cities with different population sizes using infant mortality data.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study analyzes the nutrition transition of Brazilian children under 5 from 2006 to 2019, focusing on micronutrient deficiencies, stunting, excessive weight, and breastfeeding practices using data from two national surveys.
  • - Significant improvements were noted in anemia and vitamin A deficiency rates, while stunting remained steady and excessive weight increased during this period, with breastfeeding practices also seeing positive trends.
  • - By 2019, many children achieved minimum dietary diversity, but high consumption of ultra-processed foods and low intake of fruits and vegetables were concerning, highlighting ongoing disparities impacted by geographical and maternal factors.
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  • - The study examined the prevalence of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and ultra-processed food consumption among 4,354 Brazilian children aged 6-23 months, considering factors like sociodemographic variables and regional differences.
  • - MDD was found in 63.4% of the children, with lower rates in regions like the North (54.8%) and among those with less educated caregivers or facing food insecurity, while 80.5% consumed ultra-processed foods, particularly in the North (84.5%).
  • - Only 8.4% of children achieved MDD without ultra-processed foods, highlighting dietary challenges among vulnerable populations and emphasizing the need for improved nutrition policies for infants in Brazil.
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  • The study analyzed factors related to anemia and vitamin A deficiency in 7,716 Brazilian children aged 6-59 months, revealing significant associations with socio-economic and demographic factors like maternal education and age.
  • Children aged 6-23 months were notably affected, especially if their mothers had less education or were younger, while regional disparities were evident with higher prevalence in the North.
  • The research highlights the importance of tailored public health policies to address nutritional deficiencies, particularly in vulnerable groups, and suggests that certain dietary habits and breastfeeding practices can influence these health outcomes.
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  • Malnutrition is a significant global health issue, and this study focused on its prevalence among mother-child pairs in Brazil for children under 5 years old, comparing data from 2006 and 2019.* -
  • The findings revealed that in 2019, 58.2% of mothers and 9.7% of children were overweight, with rising rates of overweight in mother-child dyads and an increase in the double burden of malnutrition over the years.* -
  • Vulnerability to malnutrition was higher in dyads with lower maternal education, older mothers, and those from Southern Brazil, highlighting the need for targeted interventions in these populations.*
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  • The study aimed to analyze the rates of cross-breastfeeding, human milk donation to milk banks, and the reception of milk from these banks among Brazilian mothers.
  • Using data from the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019), researchers focused on 5,831 mothers of children under two years who had breastfed, finding that 21.1% practiced cross-breastfeeding.
  • Although 4.8% of mothers donated milk and 3.6% reported their children received donated milk, cross-breastfeeding poses health risks, highlighting the need for discussion around these practices in Brazil and globally.
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  • The study analyzes breastfeeding trends in Brazil from 1996 to 2019 using data from national surveys to inform public health policies.
  • Key indicators assessed include early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding in infants under 6 months, and continued breastfeeding rates at 1 and 2 years of age, showing significant improvements over the years.
  • However, the research highlights that certain regions in Brazil, particularly the South and Southeast, will need substantial increases in prevalence to meet the WHO/UNICEF breastfeeding targets by 2030.
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The National Wealth Score (IEN) is a synthetic household index that assesses socioeconomic conditions. This study aims to present the methods used to update the IEN using data from the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019). The following items were included: the education level of the mother or caregiver of the child; the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, TV sets, and cars in the household; and the presence of a radio, refrigerator or freezer, washing machine, microwave oven, telephone line, computers, air conditioner, media player devices, cable or satellite TV, cell phone ownership and type of service, cell phone internet, and internet at the household.

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Objectives: The National Registry of Healthcare Facilities is a system with the registry of every healthcare facility in Brazil with information on the capacity building and healthcare workforce regarding its public or private nature. Despite being publicly available, it can only be accessed in separated disjoint tables, with different primary units of analysis. The objective is to offer an interoperable dataset containing monthly data from 2005 to 2021 with information on healthcare facilities, including their physical and human resources, services and teams, enriched with municipal information.

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Objective: To estimate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding during maternity hospital stay (outcome) and to analyze the association between delivery in a Baby-Friendly Hospital (BFH) and the outcome. The hypothesis is that accreditation to this program improves exclusive breastfeeding during maternity hospital stay. Exclusive breastfeeding is essential in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality.

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Objectives: Primary health care builds the backbone of an effective healthcare system and can improve population health, reduce cost growth, and lessen inequality. We offer a machine-readable and open-access dataset on primary health care coverage in Brazil from 1998 to 2020. This dataset is interoperable with epidemiological data from two major studies and reusable by the research community worldwide for other purposes, such as monitoring progress toward universal health coverage and studying the association between primary health care and health outcomes.

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We present a machine-readable and open-access dataset on vaccination results among children under five years old in Brazil from 1996 to 2021. This dataset is interoperable with epidemiological data from the VAX*SIM project and reusable by the research community worldwide for other purposes, such as monitoring vaccination coverage and studying its determinants and impacts on child morbidity and mortality. The dataset gathers official and public information from the Brazilian National Immunisation Program, the Institute of Geography and Statistics, the Institute for Applied Economic Research, and the Ministry of Health.

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Background: Early feeding practices are important determinants of optimal feeding patterns later in life. We aimed to investigate if giving any fluids or foods other than breast milk during the first three days after birth (prelacteal feeds) affects exclusive breastfeeding and consumption of formula among children under six months of age in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 85 nationally representative Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in LMICs (2010-2019).

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought countless challenges to public health and highlighted the Brazilian health system vulnerabilities in facing the emergency. In this article, we analyze data on COVID-19-related deaths in 2020-21 to show the epidemic consequences in Brazil.

Methods: The Mortality Information System and the Live Birth Information System were the primary information sources.

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Background: In recent decades, it has been possible to observe an increase in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage globally for both disease prevention and health promotion purposes. we aim to estimate the prevalence of CAM use and analyze associated factors in Brazil.

Methods: Observational study with data from the 2019 National Health Survey that evaluated a sample of Brazilian adults.

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Objective: To analyze the receipt of sponsorships from breast-milk substitute companies by health professionals in scientific events.

Methods: Multicenter study (Multi-NBCAL) performed from November 2018 to November 2019 in six cities in different Brazilian regions. In 26 public and private hospitals, pediatricians, nutritionists, speech therapists, and a hospital manager were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.

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Objective: To analyze if milk and complementary foods are being sold under the Brazilian Code of Marketing of Infant and Toddler's Food, Teats, Pacifiers and Baby Bottles (NBCAL), Law 11265/2006 of breastfeeding protection.

Methods: Epidemiological survey that analyzed the marketing practices of pharmacies, supermarkets, and department stores in the Southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by direct observation.

Results: Among the 349 stores in Rio de Janeiro's South Region, 339 traded milk and complementary foods and, among them, 60.

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The Brazilian Code of Marketing of Infant and Toddlers Food, Nipples, Pacifiers and Baby Bottles (NBCAL), in force in Brazil since 1988, is still systematically violated, exposing mothers and family members to illegal marketing of products that compete with breastfeeding. This study aimed to describe a multicenter study methodology and propose standardized indicators for NBCAL monitoring. This is a Multicenter Study for NBCAL Compliance Assessment (Multi-NBCAL) conducted in seven Brazilian cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais State), Florianópolis (Santa Catarina State), Brasília (Federal District), João Pessoa (Paraíba State), and Belém (Pará State).

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This study evaluated the role of social inequalities in complementary feeding patterns between and within countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This ecological study employed aggregate data from population-based surveys. The units of analysis were all 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for which information was available in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) databases.

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Objectives: The "Bolsa-Família" Program (PBF) is a Brazilian conditional cash-transfer program in which families should comply with health, education, and social assistance conditionalities. The program aims to fight poverty and hunger, promoting nutrition and health services for low-income populations. This paper presents a database on the coverage of monitoring and compliance with the PBF health conditionalities in Brazil from January 2005 to July 2021.

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This manuscript aims to describe the methodological, operational, and quality control aspects of the assessment of dietary intake in children under five years of age participating in the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019), a household survey in a probability sample of Brazilian households. Two instruments were developed to assess child feeding practices - a structured, current status-type questionnaire and a 24-hour dietary recall (24HR), both installed in a mobile data collection device used by previously trained interviewers. A Photographic Manual for Quantification of Children's Dietary Intake was specifically developed for and used in the survey as a support aid to identify and quantify foods reported in the 24HR.

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