Functional characteristics of nutrition operative groups for in municipality of the interior of Minas Gerais.
Functional characteristics of nutrition operative groups
Keywords:
Primary Health Care, Food and Nutrition Education, Group Processes, Obesity ManagementAbstract
Objective: To characterize the functional conditions of operative groups for healthy diet and weight loss and to identify the perception of nutritionists about this action, in a city in the interior of Minas Gerais. Methods: Descriptive study, in which groups were observed regarding frequency, number of participants, physical structure, environmental characteristics, didactic and educational resources, anthropometric equipment and conditions of use; and interview with nutritionists regarding social, professional identification and perception of groups. Results: The 15 groups observed had a duration of 1 hour, median of 17 participants, biweekly meetings, in places that had problems with light, ventilation, number of chairs, privacy and insufficient educational materials, most of which had scales and stadiometers. The 7 respondent nutritionists were women, most of them with graduate degrees and training for group work. The main inadequacies / insufficiencies reported were lack of privacy, noises in the place, ventilation, educational materials and quantity or conditions of anthropometric equipment. Most considered the group effective in promoting improvements in diet, but not for weight loss, and the low adherence by users was the most cited barrier. Conclusion: There is a need for improvements in the functional conditions of the groups, providing an opportunity for sharing of knowledge, increasing adherence and, consequently, increasing the effectiveness of the action.
