Browsing by Author "Ramos, C."
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- Air fungal contamination in ten hospitals’ food units from LisbonPublication . Viegas, C.; Ramos, C.; Almeida, M.; Sabino, Raquel; Verissimo, Cristina; Rosado, L.A descriptive study was developed to monitor air fungal contamination in ten food units from hospitals. Fifty air samples of 250 litres were collected through impaction method. Samples were collected in food storage facilities, kitchen, food plating, canteen and also, outside premises, since this is the place regarded as reference. Simultaneously, environmental parameters were also monitored, including temperature and relative humidity through the equipment Babouc, LSI Sistems and according to the International Standard ISO 7726.
- Breakfast consumption in primary school children from cosi portugal 2010 studyPublication . Duarte, D.; Ramos, C.; Carvalho, M.A.; Rito, AnaIntroduction: Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. Given the association of childhood obesity with less frequent breakfast consumption and since Portuguese studies on this subject are still scarce, the present study assesses breakfast consumption among Portuguese school age children and its association with obese and overweight children. Methods: The analysis was undertaken from data of the COSI Portugal 2010 study. Breakfast consumption (defined as the consumption of food, and beverage taken before school time) and place where it was held, was obtained from 4064 children aged between 6 to 8 years from a National representative sample of 189 primary schools. IOTF criteria was used to classify children´s nutritional status. For this study, descriptive and analytic statistics were used. The significance level was set at p <0.05. Results: 95.1% of the children had breakfast every day at home. Most children took breakfast at home (95.9%). Concerning the food eaten in this meal, the study showed that most of the children (87.7%) consumed milk/yogurt/cheese, and only 2.0% had fruit. Children, who did not have breakfast, had higher prevalence of overweight and obesity (33.2% and 14.8%, respectively) compared with the ones that took breakfast (26.0% and 9.0%, respectively). These differences were statistically significant (p <0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that children who do not consume breakfast, appears, itself, to be associated positively with obesity. Given rising obesity rates in children, public health advocates would do well to renew their emphasis on the importance of a good breakfast.
- Comparison of fungal contamination between hospitals and companies food unitsPublication . Viegas, C.; Ramos, C.; Almeida, M.; Sabino, R.; Verissimo, C.; Rosado, L.A descriptive study was developed to compare air and surfaces fungal contamination in ten hospitals’ food units and two food units from companies. Fifty air samples of 250 litres through impaction method were collected from hospitals’ food units and 41 swab samples from surfaces were also collected, using a 10 by 10 cm square stencil. Regarding the two companies, ten air samples and eight surface samples were collected. Air and surface samples were collected in food storage facilities, kitchen, food plating and canteen. Outdoor air was also collected since this is the place regarded as a reference. Simultaneously, temperature, relative humidity and meal numbers were registered. Concerning air from hospitals’ food units, 32 fungal species were identified, being the two most commonly isolated genera Penicillium sp.
- Program Obesity Zero (POZ) – a community based intervention to address overweight primary school children from five Portuguese municipalitiesPublication . Rito, A.I.; Carvalho, M.A.; Ramos, C.; Breda, J.OBJECTIVE: Results of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative indicated that on average one out of four primary-school children is overweight or obese. Portugal presented one of the highest prevalences of obesity. Childhood obesity prevention and treatment should be a top priority. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Program Obesity Zero (POZ), a multi-component, community-, family- and school-based childhood obesity intervention. DESIGN: Parents and children attended four individual nutrition and physical activity counselling sessions, a one-day healthy cooking workshop and two school extracurricular sessions of nutrition education. Waist circumference, BMI, physical activity level, sedentary behaviours, and nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviour were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Diet was assessed using two 24 h recalls, at baseline and at 6 months. SETTING: Five Portuguese municipalities and local communities. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and sixty-six overweight children (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) aged 6-10 years, from low-income families in five Portuguese municipalities, were assigned to the intervention. RESULTS: Children showed reductions in waist circumference (-2.0 cm; P < 0.0001), mean BMI (-0.7 kg/m2; P < 0.0001) and BMI-for-age percentile (-1.7; P < 0.0001) at 6 months. Overall, children's intake of fruit and vegetables was <400 g/d throughout the intervention. After 6 months, higher fibre consumption and an apparent decrease in sugary soft drinks intake to a quarter of that observed at baseline (mean intake: 198 ml/d at baseline), with improvements in physical activity levels and screen time <2 h/d, were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that POZ is a promising intervention programme, at municipality level, to tackle childhood overweight and obesity.
- Risk assessment of exposure to multiple mycotoxins in foodPublication . Viegas, S.; Viegas, C.; Ramos, C.; Silva, M.; Sabino, R.; Verissimo, C.; Laura, R.Moulds may produce a diversity of toxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins and others. Although toxicological, environmental and epidemiological studies have addressed the problem of these toxins one by one, more than one mycotoxin are found usually in the same contaminated food. Risk assessment for humans potentially exposed to multimycotoxins suffers very much from the lack of adequate food consumption data. Furthermore, for a given mycotoxin, synergism and antagonism with other mycotoxins, found in the same food commodities, are not taken into account. Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A belong to the most frequently occurring mycotoxins. This has repeatedly been demonstrated, however, normally, the risk resulting from their simultaneous occurrence is not considered. A descriptive study was developed to monitor air fungal contamination in one hospital food unit.