Ana Carolina Leme

• Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Research Associate at University of British Columbia

Purpose of Review This systematic review reports the latest scientific evidence, from cross-sectional and cohort studies, describing the dietary intake of children and adolescents from Brazil. The goal of the review was to describe intakes according to Brazil’s new food classification system (NOVA) which classifies foods according to the degree of...

Sharing meals with parents have been associated with better dietary patterns, however, most of the studies have been conducted with children (≤ 10yo) and in high-income countries. This study described the frequency of sharing meals with parents and their associations with adolescents’ dietary patterns. Cross-sectional population[1]based study with...

Sharing meals with parents have been associated with better dietary patterns, however, most of the studies have been conducted with children (≤ 10yo) and in high-income countries. This study described the frequency of sharing meals with parents and their associations with adolescents’ dietary patterns. Cross-sectional population[1]based study with...

Objective This study aimed to estimate the daily energy intake and overconsumed nutrients for adolescents and young adults concerning public health based on the food source, eating location, and occasion. Methods This study constituted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2015 Health Survey of São Paulo focusing on Nutrition with 707 adolescents (n=5...

Objetivos: descrever parâmetros bioquímicos e antropométricos de acordo com a presença e ausência de doenças orgânicas em crianças com dificuldades alimentares. Materiais e métodos: Estudo transversal com dados retrospectivos de um ambulatório de dificuldades alimentares. Doença orgânica foi definida como qualquer condição de saúde na qual há um pr...

OBJECTIVE: Young adults have gained recognition as a period marked by changes in dietary and other lifestyle behaviors. The aim was to characterized young adults as meat and non-meat consumers and examine non-meat consumers associations between lifestyle behaviors, reasons, and motivations for adhering to vegetarian styles. METHODS: cross-sectional...

Objetivo: Avaliar o consumo, perfil nutricional e fontes de alimentos consumidos no café da manhã por crianças com dificuldades alimentares. Métodos: Estudo transversal com 137, lactentes, pré-escolares, e crianças em idade escolar de um centro de referência em nutrição e dificuldades alimentares em São Paulo, Brasil. Características sociodemográfi...

Unhealthy diets are detrimental to health, but home meal preparation is associated with better diet quality. Among a sample of parents of children aged 2-12, this study aimed to 1) explore perceived challenges and strategies to meeting the 2019 Canada's Food Guide recommendation of "Cook more often". From October 2019 to January 2020, 8 focus group...

This study examines the associations between perceived urban environment attributes and obesity indices by country using data from an eight-nation study from Latin America. The data were collected from 8185 adults. The Neighbourhood Environment Walkability-abbreviated scale was used to assess perceived urban environment attributes. Obesity indices...

To support Canadians ages 2 years and older in improving their dietary intake, Health Canada released a revised Canada's Food Guide (CFG) in 2019. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and perceptions of the 2019 CFG among children ages 9–12 years old from Southwestern Ontario. From September–November 2021, interviews were conducted with childr...

Background: Evidence has shown that active transportation decreases obesity rates, but considering walking or cycling as separate modes could provide additional information on the health benefits in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the associations between walking and cycling as form active transportation and obesity indicators in Latin Ame...

This study aimed to compare compliance with 24-h movement guidelines across countries and examine the associations with markers of adiposity in adults from eight Latin American countries. The sample consisted of 2338 adults aged 18-65 years. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) data were objectively measured usi...

Little is known about how behaviors to control weight are associated with diet quality among youth from low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine associations between efforts to control weight (ECW) and diet quality among Brazilian adolescents and young adults. Methods: Data from 731 participants (17.89±4.92 years, 51.1...

Background 24-hour movement behaviors, including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time (ST), and sleep duration, have important implications for health across the lifespan. However, no studies exist that have examined the integration of these 24-hour movement behaviors in Latin America. The purpose of this study was to exami...

Objective: To evaluate associations between snacking and energy, nutrients and food source, and identify the contribution of snacking across age, sex, weight status and lifestyle behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Methods: Sub-sample was calculated from the population-based cross-sectional study 2015-Health Survey of São Paulo (ISA-Capi...

Alcohol consumption is a modifiable risk factor for non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to characterize alcohol consumers at the nutritional, anthropometric, and sociodemographic levels. Data from 9218 participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela participating in “Latin American Health and N...

Despite the lack of a “gold-standard” definition and identification of influential factors for identifying feeding difficulties in children, many international studies have been published in recent years on the subject. Thus, the aim was to examine studies on children with feeding difficulties and their associated factors that impact on their diffi...

Introduction: Attributes of the neighborhood-built environment are associated with self-reported physical activity, but only a few studies have concentrated on device-measured physical activity in Latin America. This study examines the associations of perceived neighborhood-built environment attributes, device-measured sedentary time, and light-int...

Introduction: Attributes of the neighborhood built environment are associated with self-reported physical activity but only a few studies have concentrated on device-measured physical activity in Latin America. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of perceived neighborhood built environment attributes and device-measured sedentary...

This study aimed to examine the associations between active transportation and public transport and the objectively measured meeting of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and steps per day guidelines in adults by sex from eight Latin American countries. As part of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS), data were collec...

Background Active transportation is a crucial sort of physical activity for developing sustainable environments and provides essential health benefits. This is particularly important in Latin American countries because they present the highest burden of non-communicable diseases relative to other worldwide regions. This study aimed to examine the p...

In January 2019, Health Canada released a revised Canada’s Food Guide (CFG). This study aimed to understand the perceptions of the 2019 CFG among Canadian parents with children aged 2–12 years. From October 2019–January 2020, 8 focus groups with parents from Southwestern Ontario were conducted using a semi-structured interview script focused on und...

Introduction Feeding skills (FS) are important to child development, as the delay in their presence could suggest feeding difficulties (FD) symptoms. The aim of the present study was to compare the development of three types of FS (autonomy to eat, posture at meals, and adequate use of cutleries) among children with FD and without FD. Methods This...

Objetivo: Avaliar associações entre lanches e consumo de energia, nutrientes e fontes alimentares e identificar seus contribuintes por idade, sexo, status de peso e comportamentos de estilo de vida entre adolescentes e jovens adultos. Métodos: Subamostra calculada a partir do estudo de base-populacional transversal Inquéritos de Saúde de São Paulo...

Poor health and diet quality are associated with living within a low socioeconomic status (SES). This study aimed to investigate the impact of SES on diet quality and body mass index in Latin America. Data from the “Latin American Health and Nutrition Study (ELANS)”, a multi-country, population-based study of 9218 participants, were used. Dietary i...

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between self-reported and device-based measures of sedentary behavior (SB) with obesity markers in adults from Latin American countries. Sitting time and total time spent in different SBs were self-reported using two different questionnaires. Accelerometers were used to assess total sedentar...

Poor diet, sedentary behaviors, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and alcohol intake seem to co-exist in complex ways that are not well understood. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of the extent to which unhealthy behaviors cluster in eight Latin America countries. A secondary aim was to identify socio-demographic characteristics...

Increased consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods can lead to inadequate intakes of shortfall nutrients, including vitamin A, D, C, and E, dietary folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. The objective was to examine the prevalence of inadequate intake of shortfall nutrients and identify food sources of shortfall nutrients i...

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between self-reported and device-based measures of sedentary behavior with obesity markers in adults from Latin American countries. Sitting time and total time spent in different sedentary behaviors were self-reported using two different questionnaires. Accelerometers were used to assess tot...

The aim of the present study was to examine the sex-related associations between accelerometer-measured daily step counts and adiposity indicators in adults from eight Latin American countries. We analyzed data from 2524 adults (aged 18–65 years) from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health. Device-measured daily step counts were measured...

Objective: To quantify the energy, nutrients-to-limit and total gram amount consumed, and identify their top food sources consumed by Latin Americans. Design: Data from The Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS). Setting: ELANS is a cross-sectional study representative of eight Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colom...

Research comparing the adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) across countries with different socio-economic status is lacking, which may be a concern for developing nutrition policies. The aim was to report on the adherence to FBDGs in high-income (HIC) and low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). A systematic review with searches in si...

Purpose: To examine associations between preschoolers’ diet quality and parent and child socio-demographic variables. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis with 117 preschoolers. Parents reported socio-demographics and their children’s diet using 3-day food records. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015. Linear regression...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the agreement between self-reported and device-based sedentary time among eight countries in Latin America. As part of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS), data were collected from 2524 participants (18–65 years) across eight countries. Participants reported time spent sedentary in diffe...

Objective: To understand how adolescents define related nutrition terms; and use food groups to classify commonly-consumed foods into the MyPlate® food groups. Design: Qualitative study with telephone interviews Setting: Houston metropolitan area, USA. Participants: Convenience sample of 21 adolescents from a volunteer database of the research c...

Lifestyle prevention program is the first-line prevention for youth obesity. Nevertheless, efficacy in prevention of adolescent obesity requires several approaches, with especial attention paid to the disordered eating behaviors, psychological support, among other environmental factors. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the association between active transportation and obesity indicators in adults from eight Latin American countries. Methods: Data from the ELANS study, an observational multi-country study (n: 8336; 18-65 years), were used. Active transportation (walking and cycling) and leisure time physical activ...

Objective To evaluate the association between nutritional quality of breakfast and cardiometabolic risk factors. Design Cross-sectional study, 2015 Health Survey of São Paulo (2015 ISA-Capital) with Focus on Nutrition Study (2015 ISA-Nutrition). Settings Population-based study, with a representative sample of adults and elderlies living in São Pa...

An effective behavior changes program is the first-line of prevention for youth obesity. However, effectiveness in prevention of adolescent obesity requires several approaches, with special attention paid to disordered eating behaviors and psychological support among other environmental factors. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the...

Objective To determine the sustainability of food quality in an obesity-prevention strategy for adolescent girls. Methods The study is a randomized controlled trial with 253 girls (Mean=15.61, 95% Confidence Interval 15.51-15.72) enrolled in 10 vocational schools in São Paulo. The diet intake was determined using a “Food Frequency Questionnaire” a...

Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight satisfaction are important factors related to energy intake underreporting in younger adults. However, few studies have explored that relation in older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these factors in a sample of older adults who tend to underestimate their energy consumption. Sample included 40 older...

Objective To investigate the association among social determinants, lifestyle variables and diet quality in São Paulo, Brazil. Design Cross-sectional study, 2015 Health Survey of São Paulo (Inquérito de Saúde de São Paulo (2015 ISA-Capital)) with Focus on Nutrition Study (2015 ISA-Nutrition). Setting Population-based study, with a representative...

Introduction Misreporting in adults has been associated with socioeconomic and anthropometric characteristics, such as sex, age and weight status. Body Mass Index (BMI) is an important factor that has been associated with underreporting of energy intake. Many epidemiological studies often use self-reported values of height and weight, in order to r...

Introduction Although evidence shows some decrease in energy intake, consumption of added sugars, solid fat acids (SFA), and sodium are still high among Latin Americans. This study evaluated top food sources contributing to the percentage of energy and nutrients-to-limit among Latin Americans. Materials and Methods Latin American Study of Nutritio...

To identify food sources of shortfall nutrients consumed by adolescents (n = 3156), data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011-2014) were used. Some of the food groups commonly consumed by adolescents made a significant contribution to shortfall nutrient intakes in the diet. Many food sources that provided signifi...

The obesogenic environment stimulates an inadequate diet by hampering healthy choices. This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between the local food environment and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a representative sample population of adolescents living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, using multilevel logistic regression...

Purpose: To evaluate the immediate post-intervention and 6-month post-intervention effects of a Brazilian school-based randomized controlled trial for girls targeting shared risk factors for obesity and disordered eating. Methods: Total of 253 girls, mean of 15.6 (0.05) years from 1st to 3rd grades of high school participated in this 6-month sch...

Objective: Identify most commonly consumed foods by adolescents as percentage of total energy, added sugars, saturated fatty acids (SFA), sodium, and total gram intake per day. Design: Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011-2014) were analyzed. Setting: NHANES is cross-sectional study that is nationally represen...

This study reviewed the relationship between sedentary behavior (SB) and body composition in children and adolescents from low-and-mid income countries (LMIC). A systematic review was developed through manual and electronic searches in eight databases. Were included observational studies conducted in LMIC, with children and adolescents from three t...

The Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls - Brazil overview of sessions 1 to 10. Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2017.

Pediatric obesity is a major public health concern in low- and middle-income countries, such as Brazil. There is an urgent need for preventive programs for adolescents and, the assessment of their sustained impact. This paper reports the longer-term (6-month post intervention) effects of the “H3G-Brazil” obesity prevention program on weight status...

Introduction Obesity and eating disorders are public health problems that have lifelong financial and personal costs and common risk factors, for example, body dissatisfaction, weight teasing and disordered eating. Obesity prevention interventions might lead to the development of an eating disorder since focusing on weight may contribute to excessi...

Background There is a striking lack of evidence about parents’/caregivers’ influence on their children’s dietary intake across Brazil and other middle- and low-income countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the associations between adolescents’ dietary intake and home environment, family meals and parental support. Methods...

Objetivo: Avaliar as hipóteses mediadoras da insatisfação corporal e analisar a associação com as provocações relativas ao peso e satisfação corporal. Métodos: Participaram 253 meninas matriculadas em 10 escolas de São Paulo. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionários auto-relatados, validados e reproduzidos. As variáveis do estudo f...

Purpose The aim was to evaluate the impact of the groups from the Brazilian Food Pyramid on macro and micronutrient content of food consumed by adolescent girls from a school-based study. Design/methodology/approach Baseline data from “Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls” school-based randomized control trial was used for this study. A sample of the g...

Introduction: Time spent on sedentary activities might be associated with inadequate diet in adolescents. Objective: To assess the association between energy-dense, nutrient-poor items and screen-time in adolescents. Methods: Data from baseline of a school-based randomized controlled trial with 253 girls from public schools in São Paulo. Diet intak...

Background Health behavior theories are useful to interpret adolescents’ dietary behaviors. Evidences show that theories are influenced by social and psychological determinants. So, the purpose of this study is to systematically review studies that tested social cognitive theories (non-integrated) that predict adolescents’ dietary behaviors. Method...

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a school-based obesity prevention program targeting Brazilian adolescent girls on dietary intake and meal frequency. Design/methodology/approach – It was a six-month school-based group randomized controlled trial with female adolescents. The intervention was based on the Social Cognitive Theory...

The purpose of this study is to describe the study design and protocol and baseline results of the “Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls” program. The intervention will be evaluated through a randomized controlled trial in 10 public schools of São Paulo. The variables were collected and evaluated at baseline and will be evaluated after 7 and 12-month base...

SCT (social cognitive theory) provides a useful framework to explain why people acquire and maintain PA (physical activity) behaviors among adolescents. This study aimed to adapt modernized Australian social cognitive scales of PA to the Portuguese language and evaluate their factorial and convergent validity and reliability. The adapted scales wer...

Establishing valid and reliable methods for assessing social cognitive measures of dietary behaviors support the design and delivery of more effective interventions. The aims of this study were to culturally adapt social cognitive measures related to adolescent dietary behaviors and evaluate the reliability and factorial validity of these measures...

To analyze the association between weight teasing, body satisfaction and weight control behaviors. Cross-sectional study based on adaptation and validity research of a North American questionnaire for adolescent girls about physical activity, nutrition, body image, perceptions, and behaviors. The variables used to conduct the study were weight cont...

Objective: To identify and justify adolescents’ food choices during recess at school and to get to know school staff vision about the students’ acceptance of the Brazilian School Meal Program. Material and Methods: It ́s a cross-sectional study in a public school in São Paulo, based on the Theory of the So- cial Representations. Eighty-three adoles...

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the association between weight teasing, body satisfaction and weight control behaviors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on an adaptation and validity research of a North America questionnaire for adolescent girls about physical activity, food and body image perceptions, behaviors and attitudes. The va...

The purpose of this study was to identify the adolescents' food preferences during school break. This was a qualitative cross-sectional study with 83 adolescents from a public school in the city of São Paulo. The participants answered the following question: During the school break do you usually eat or drink something? Please justify your answer....

The aim of this study is to identify the adolescents' knowledge and perceptions of healthy and unhealthy eating. It is a qualitative cross section study with 83 adolescents of both genders between 10 and 16 years old enrolled in a public school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The participants answered two discursive questions that assessed their...