Sociodemographic, behavioral and nutritional profile of adults attending a School Clinic of Nutrition in Salvador, Bahia

Abstract

Introduction: the gathering of the characteristics of the population who attends the school clinics of Nutrition is crucial for the organization
of the service, as well as for the planning and implementation of strategies for prevention and control of nutritional disorders. Objective:
to identify the socioeconomic, demographic, behavioral and nutritional profile of adult patients treated at a School Clinic of Nutrition in
Salvador, Bahia. Methodology: this is a descriptive, cross-sectional study, performed with secondary data obtained from medical records of adults treated at the School Clinic of Nutrition of a Public Institution of Higher Education, from July 2012 to June 2013. Results: the population of the study consisted of 424 individuals, predominantly female (83.7%); age group varying from 20 to 29 years (34.4%); selfdeclared
black (54.2%); single (53.8%); with complete high school level (34.6%); with family income between 1 and 3 minimum wages (54.9%), non-alcoholic (58%) and non-smokers (96.2%). The prevalence observed for overweight and obesity was 37.3% and 35.6%,
respectively. Conclusion: the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and nutritional status, according to the Body Mass Index, of patients treated at the school clinic were similar to those described in studies performed in other outpatient clinics. The knowledge of the profile of users can contribute to the improvement of services provided and planning of effective nutrition education actions