Food and Nutrition Education as intervention practice: reflection and possible strengthening

Introduction:

Nutritional interventions are historically configured by food distribution and expansion of knowledge, keeping current practices. To expand the field, the Marco de Referência de Educação Alimentar e Nutricional [Reference Landmark of Food and Nutrition Education] was set in 2012.

Objective:

Analyze the Brazilian scientific production about evaluation of interventions in Food and Nutrition Education prior to the landmark establishment.

Methodology:

Systematic research including articles published from 2000 to 2012. After a critical reading, the studies were divided, selected and classified by region, context and scenario.

Results:

28 articles were selected and divided into three categories: institutional and study characteristics; intervention contexts and social actors involved; and organization and theoretical basis. It was detected that dietitians and the theme "nutrition" are prevalent in the health context. In the school setting, in the territory and in the work setting, the health promotion is approached by multi-professional teams. The objectives and evaluations of the interventions are related predominantly with numerical indicators, however, the territory studies approximate the landmark references by appropriating qualitative indicators. There was a succinct description of the theoretical and methodological bases, limiting the reproduction of the studies.

Considerations:

We point out the need for more intervention studies and its improvement by using the landmark as reference.

Food and Nutrition Education; intervention studies; review