Publications by authors named "Rita Akutsu"

This study sought to analyze the influence of occupational stress on the body composition of hospital workers after one year of follow-up. This prospective cohort study included 218 workers from one of the leading private hospitals in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Recôncavo da Bahia region, Northeast Brazil. Body composition was analyzed by proxy (Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference) and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.

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The food environment plays a crucial role in shaping people's eating habits and, in and around schools, this influence becomes even more critical due to the time students spend daily in these spaces. This study aimed to analyze the food and consumer environments inside and around federal institutes in Bahia, Brazil. Ecological study and audit methodologies were combined, with all the 35 federal institutes in Bahia as the sample universe.

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Deserts, swamps and food oases terms have been used to characterize the food environment according to the identified food availability. Food swamps are defined as neighborhoods with a predominance of food establishments selling ultra-processed foods compared to establishments selling healthy options. In contrast, food oases are areas with easy access to healthy and nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods.

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Foodborne Diseases (FBDs) are a worldwide problem and occur after contaminated food has been ingested, signaling a lack of food quality. Even though the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not transmitted through food, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused several challenges worldwide that have had direct implications on food production and handling, stimulating and reinforcing the adoption of good manufacturing and food handling practices. The aim of this study was to analyze data on notifications of FBD in Brazil in the years before (2018 and 2019) and during (2020 and 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic.

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This systematic review aimed to identify the influence of occupational stress on the body mass index of hospital workers. After registering the protocol at PROSPERO (CRD42022331846), we started this systematic review following a search in seven databases, gray literature, as well as manual search and contact with specialists. The selection of studies was performed independently by two evaluators following the inclusion criteria: observational studies evaluating adult hospital workers, in which occupational stress was considered exposure and body composition as a result.

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Working in a hospital environment is known for presenting unhealthy features that affect the workers' health-features which have currently been intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this longitudinal study aimed to ascertain the level of job stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, how this changed, and its association with the dietary patterns of hospital workers. Data on sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, health, anthropometric, dietetic, and occupational stress were collected before and during the pandemic from 218 workers at a private hospital in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil.

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This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and the body composition of hospital workers subjected to occupational stressors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, anthropometric, food consumption and occupational stress were collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 218 workers from a private hospital in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia, Brazil were included in the study.

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Article Synopsis
  • The review focused on assessing the food environment around schools, including the methods used for evaluation and its impact on the health of children and adolescents.
  • Using PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the researchers analyzed 46 studies, highlighting a lack of standardization in how food environments are assessed, particularly regarding distance and analysis methods.
  • Findings indicate that school surroundings are often filled with unhealthy food options, and while these contribute to health issues like obesity, family eating habits also play a significant role, underscoring the need for standardized studies to improve children's nutrition and health outcomes.
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This cross-sectional study aimed to identify factors that interfere with the adoption of good hygiene practices in public school food services (SFS) in Bahia, Brazil. The search was conducted in public schools in Bahia/Brazil. Data collection included (i) evaluation of the adoption of Good Practices in school food services through visual observation and registration in the checklist in Good Hygienic Practices in School Food Services; (ii) Identification of schools' foodservice physical areas and environmental comfort measures; (iii) identification of sociodemographic and occupational characteristics and assessment of attitudes and level of knowledge in food hygiene.

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Food service work is hazardous due to the intense rhythm of food production, and the working conditions can cause discomfort, fatigue, and occupational accidents and illnesses. For the perception of exposure to occupational hazards, workers must participate in continuing education programs. This study aimed to verify the perception and exposure to occupational risks at school food services (SFS) in Bahia, Brazil.

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This study aimed to evaluate the association between the years of work of food handlers in the foodservice and excess weight among Brazilian low-income food handlers. A total of 559 food handlers from all Brazilian regions were characterized using a questionnaire. Weight and height were measured to estimate the Body Mass Index and classify the individuals.

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This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of gluten-free bread with (AK) flour in different concentrations. This experimental study is divided into three steps: preparation of the gluten-free bread formulations, sensory analysis, and statistical analysis. The addition of Konjac flour in a gluten-free bread formulation was tested in different proportions, 12.

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The aim of this study was to ascertain the level of occupational stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, how it changed and its association with health outcomes of hospital workers in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil. A longitudinal study was conducted with 218 hospital workers over 18 years old. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, anthropometric and health data.

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This study systematically reviewed the relationship between occupational risks and quality of life (QoL) and quality of work life (QWL) in hospitals. A systematic review was performed according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide, and the protocol was submitted on the PROSPERO website (CRD 2019127865). The last search was performed in June 2021 by two independent reviewers in the main databases, a gray literature database, and a manual search (LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Ovid).

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This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Government of the State of Bahia/Brazil, for the dimension of access to food. The study used secondary data obtained from the public opinion survey Profile of users of community restaurants in Salvador. The nutritional information was accessed through the analysis of CRs' menus.

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This exploratory, nationwide cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the well-being of Portuguese nutritionists, in addition to outlining their professional and demographic profile. Descriptive analyses were carried out to determine the measures relating to centralising tendency and dispersion of the sample. We compared means and proportions through -tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

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The demand for gluten-free products is rising, but their production with similar quality as their gluten counterparts is challenging. This study aimed to develop gluten-free bread samples using different concentrations of flour (0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.

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Dietitians as healthcare professionals could decrease their quality of life during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic period; therefore, this study aimed to compare Brazilian dietitians' perceptions of quality of life before and during the pandemic. This nationwide cross-sectional research aimed to evaluate Brazilian dietitians' quality of life before and in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, using a previously validated self-administered instrument WHO-QOL-BREF in Brazilian-Portuguese. The questionnaire was composed of 26 items (four domains) to evaluate life quality (physical, psychological, social relationship, and environment).

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This study aims to evaluate food insecurity (FI) among Brazilian Community restaurant food handlers and its associated factors. This cross-sectional study was performed with a representative sample of 471 food handlers working in community restaurants (CR) from all Brazilian regions. Participants are mostly female (62.

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This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians' wellbeing at work before and during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was performed using a previously validated instrument to investigate the wellbeing of dietitians at work in Brazil. The questionnaire on the wellbeing of dietitians was composed of 25 items (with a 5-point scale), characteristics, and questions about the SARS-COV-2 period.

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This study aimed to analyze the food safety conditions in home kitchens from the Brazilian Federal District. A previously validated instrument composed of 77 items (in four blocks) was used to evaluate the safety conditions in home kitchens. A survey was carried out with on-site application with 226 home kitchens' food handlers in the Federal District, Brazil to evaluate Brazilian home kitchens' good practices.

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Gender inequality is revealed in the issues of education, income and access to Food and Nutrition Security. In Brazil, the National Women Thousand Program aims to intensify the process of regional and institutional development by improving the access of women in situations of social vulnerability to education and the world of work. The objective is to analyze the contribution of the Programa Nacional Mulheres Mil's to reduce vulnerability to food insecurity of households headed by woman.

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Objective: This study aimed to characterize the nutritional quality of breakfast consumed by the low-income Brazilian population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1547 low-income individuals attending 36 Community Restaurants (CRs) in Brazil. Food consumption was analyzed by the frequency of food groups presented in the 24 h recall for three days.

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Non-communicable diseases are increasing worldwide, and it has been known that sugar intake is associated with health implications. Studies show that sugar consumption is high among the low-income population. In Brazil, there is a Food Assistance Program to offer inexpensive and healthy meals to the low-income population, aiming to improve their health.

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This study aimed to evaluate health professionals' unhygienic practices and the stages of behaviour change in Brazilian public hospital restaurants. We evaluated all medium/large-sized public hospital restaurants (HRs) from the Brazilian Federal District ( = 9); a representative sample of 128 users). We evaluated the HRs' physical structures, their consumers' socio-demographic characteristics, their unhygienic practices, as well as the stages of behavioural change concerning unhygienic practices.

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