Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as well as low serum calcium levels can trigger negative health outcomes in women of childbearing age. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of serum vitamin D and calcium deficiencies and insufficiencies and associated risk factors in Brazilian women of childbearing age and to assess whether there are differences in prevalence according to regions of the country and the presence or absence of pregnancy. The systematic literature review was performed using the following databases: PubMed, LILACS, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Cross-sectional, cohort, and intervention studies were included. Among pregnant women, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency ranged from 0% to 27% and of vitamin D insufficiency from 33.9% to 70.4%. Among non-pregnant women, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency ranged from 0% to 41.7% and of vitamin D insufficiency from 38.5% to 69.3%. We found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in women of childbearing age, with insufficiency affecting more than half of these women. The highest prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was observed in the South region. It was not possible to assess the prevalence and factors associated with calcium deficiency.

There is insufficient evidence on the impact of abdominal obesity (AO) on mortality in older adults. Therefore, the objective to analyze the 10-year impact of AO, assessed using different diagnostic criteria, on all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in older adults. In this prospective cohort study of older adults (≥60 years), sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical history, laboratory test, and anthropometric data were analyzed. The considered were used for AO diagnostic: waist circumference (WC) of ≥88 cm for women and ≥102 cm for men; WC of ≥77.8 cm for women and ≥98.8 cm for men; and increased waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), being the highest tertile of distribution by sex. Multivariate Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed. A total of 418 individuals, with an average age of 70.69 ± 7.13 years, participated in the study. In the analysis adjusted for sex and age, WHR was associated with a high risk of all-cause mortality (p = 0.044). Both cutoff points used for the WC were associated with an increased CVD mortality risk. None of the AO parameters were associated with cancer mortality. An increased WHR was associated to a higher all-cause mortality risk factor, while an increased WC was a risk factor for a higher CVD mortality in older adults.

IntroductionThe development of multiple coexisting chronic diseases (multimorbidity) is increasing globally, along with the percentage of older adults affected by it. Multimorbidity is associated with the concomitant use of multiple medications, a greater possibility of adverse effects, and increased risk of hospitalisation. Therefore, this systematic review study protocol aims to analyse the impact of multimorbidity on the occurrence of hospitalisation in older adults and assess whether this impact changes according to factors such as sex, age, institutionalisation and socioeconomic status. This study will also review the average length of hospital stay and the occurrence of hospital readmission.Methods and analysisA systematic review of the literature will be carried out using the PubMed, Embase and Scopus databases. The inclusion criteria will incorporate cross-sectional, cohort and case–control studies that analysed the association between multimorbidity (defined as the presence of ≥2 and/or ≥3 chronic conditions and complex multimorbidity) and hospitalisation (yes/no, days of hospitalisation and number of readmissions) in older adults (aged ≥60 years or >65 years). Effect measures will be quantified, including ORs, prevalence ratios, HRs and relative risk, along with their associated 95% CI. The overall aim of this study is to widen knowledge and to raise reflections about the association between multimorbidity and hospitalisation in older adults. Ultimately, its findings may contribute to improvements in public health policies resulting in cost reductions across healthcare systems.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated via submission for publication to a peer-reviewed journal when complete.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021229328.

The association between vitamin D deficiency and metabolic syndrome (MS) in severe obesity is unclear and controversial. We analyzed serum and dietary vitamin D and their association with MS in 150 adults with class II and III obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) from the DieTBra Trial (NCT02463435). MS parameters were high fasting blood glucose, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, elevated waist circumference, and hypertension. Vitamin D deficiency was considered as a level < 20 ng/mL. We performed multivariate Poisson regression adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. The prevalence of serum vitamin D deficiency was 13.3% (mean 29.9 ± 9.4 ng/mL) and dietary vitamin D median was 51.3 IU/day. There were no significant associations between vitamin D, serum, and diet and sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, and class of obesity. Serum vitamin D deficiency was associated with age ≥ 50 years (p = 0.034). After a fully adjusted multivariate Poisson regression, MS and its parameters were not associated with serum or dietary vitamin D, except for lower HDL, which was associated with serum vitamin D deficiency (PR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.52–0.97; p = 0.029). Severe obese individuals had a low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, which was not associated with MS.

IntroductionNo systematic reviews has synthesised data on the available evidence to determine the prevalence of calcium and vitamin D deficiencies as a public health problem globally. Therefore, this study presents a protocol for conducting a review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of calcium and vitamin D serum deficiencies in women of childbearing age and stratify these data by age group, urban and rural area, world region and pregnant/non-pregnant women whenever possible.Methods and analysisThe systematic review protocol involves conducting a literature search in the following databases: PubMed, LILACS, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science. The selected articles will be checked thoroughly, including the references to include grey literature. Cross-sectional studies and baseline data from cohort studies or clinical and community trials conducted with women of childbearing age with representative probabilistic sampling will be included. Two independent researchers will be responsible for article selection and data extraction, and discrepancies, if any, will be dealt with by a third reviewer. Methodological quality and risk of bias will be analysed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations and Joanna Briggs Institute’s checklist, respectively. The heterogeneity of the estimates between studies will also be evaluated. Dissemination of the key findings from the systematic review will help identify priorities for action, establish dietary guidelines, develop health-related public policies and reduce and combat micronutrient deficiencies among women of childbearing age and their children.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethical approval is not required, and findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020207850.

RESUMOA monitoria consiste em uma atividade acadêmica partícipe de um processo de ensinoaprendizagem desenvolvida de forma conjunta entre professor e estudante, com vistas a auxiliar na formação do futuro profissional com ênfase na consolidação dos conhecimentos adquiridos. Este trabalho constitui um relato de experiência das atividades de monitoria acadêmica realizadas nas disciplinas de Nutrição em Saúde Pública I e II do curso de Nutrição da Universidade Federal de Goiás, ofertadas no 6º e 8º períodos, respectivamente. A realização da monitoria permitiu um profundo envolvimento com as questões acadêmicas, desde a pesquisa para a elaboração e desenvolvimento de atividades acadêmicas, até o acompanhamento dos estudantes em seu processo de aprendizagem. Este processo possibilitou alterações nas metodologias de ensino aplicadas e favoreceu melhorias no aprendizado de todos envolvidos. A possibilidade de auxiliar os estudantes das disciplinas nas dificuldades que surgiram no cumprimento dos objetivos propostos no currículo acadêmico, foi uma das experiências mais promissoras vivenciadas, por meio da monitoria. Além disso, é uma forma de aprendizagem da prática pedagógica docente. Conclui-se que a monitoria cumpre seu papel de desenvolver competências e habilidades na formação acadêmica, além de permitir o aprofundamento em conhecimentos técnicos, teórico-práticos e estimular o hábito de estudo na carreira profissional.