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- National Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Survey of the Portuguese General Population (2015-2016): Protocol for Design and DevelopmentPublication . Lopes, Carla; Torres, Duarte; Oliveira, Andreia; Severo, Milton; Guiomar, Sofia; Alarcão, Violeta; Ramos, Elisabete; Rodrigues, Sara; Vilela, Sofia; Oliveira, Luísa; Mota, Jorge; Teixeira, Pedro J; Nicola, Paulo J; Soares, Simão; Andersen, Lene Frost; IAN-AF ConsortiumBACKGROUND: The assessment of food consumption data using harmonized methodologies at the European level is fundamental to support the development of public policies. Portugal is one of the countries with the most outdated information on individual foodconsumption. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the design and methodology of the National Food, Nutrition and Physical ActivitySurvey, 2015-2016, developed to collect national and regional data on dietary habits, physical activity (PA), and nutritional status, in a representative sample of the Portuguese general population (3 months-84 years). METHODS: Participants were selected by multistage sampling, using the National Heath Registry as the sampling frame. Data collection, during 12 months, was harmonized according to European guidelines (EU-MENU, European Food Safety Authority [EFSA]). Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) was performed on a specific electronic platform synchronized with nutritional composition data and considering the FoodEx2 classification system. Dietary assessment was performed using 24-hour recalls (two nonconsecutive, 8-15 days apart) or food diaries in the case of children aged <10 years, complemented with a food propensity questionnaire; PA data (International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ], the Activity Choice Index [ACI], and 4-days PA diaries); sociodemographic data, and other health-related data were also collected. RESULTS: A sample of 6553 individuals completed the first interview, and 5811 participants completed two dietary assessments. The participation rate among eligible individuals was 33.38% (6553/19,635), considering the first interview, and 29.60% (5811/19,635) for the participants with two completed interviews (about 40% in children and adolescents and 20% in elderly individuals). Results of the survey will be disseminated in national and international scientific journals during 2018-2019. CONCLUSIONS: The survey will assist policy planning and management of national and European health programs on the improvement of nutritional status and risk assessment related to food hazards, and the enhancement of PA. The infrastructures and data driven from this Survey are a solid basis to the development of a future national surveillance system on diet, PA, and other health behaviors reproducible over time.
- Neglected vector-borne zoonoses in Europe: Into the wildPublication . Tomassone, L.; Berriatua, E; De Sousa, R.; Duscher, G.G.; Mihalca, A.D.; Silaghi, C.; Sprong, H.; Zintl, A.Wild vertebrates are involved in the transmission cycles of numerous pathogens. Additionally, they can affect the abundance of arthropod vectors. Urbanization, landscape and climate changes, and the adaptation of vectors and wildlife to human habitats represent complex and evolving scenarios, which affect the interface of vector, wildlife and human populations, frequently with a consequent increase in zoonotic risk. While considerable attention has focused on these interrelations with regard to certain major vector-borne pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and tick-borne encephalitis virus, information regarding many other zoonotic pathogens is more dispersed. In this review, we discuss the possible role of wildlife in the maintenance and spread of some of these neglected zoonoses in Europe. We present case studies on the role of rodents in the cycles of Bartonella spp., of wild ungulates in the cycle of Babesia spp., and of various wildlife species in the life cycle of Leishmania infantum, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. These examples highlight the usefulness of surveillance strategies focused on neglected zoonotic agents in wildlife as a source of valuable information for health professionals, nature managers and (local) decision-makers. These benefits could be further enhanced by increased collaboration between researchers and stakeholders across Europe and a more harmonised and coordinated approach for data collection.