No abstract

The objective of this narrative review, with a systematic survey, was to investigate the impact of social isolation on food (eating habits) during the 2019 Coronavirus disease pandemic. A retrieval of studies published from January 1st, 2019 to June 18th, 2020 was carried out in the PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases. The screening was structured using the terms corresponding to Coronavirus disease 2019, social isolation and food. All steps were carried out independently by three reviewers. Twelve studies were included, totaling 20,789 people assessed, with a predominance of cross-sectional studies of adult population. The studies reviewed had been carried out in Italy (n=4), Spain (n=2), Poland (n=1), China (n=1), India (n=1), United States of America (n=1), South Africa (n=1) and in a continental multicenter (n=1). The analysis of the studies included showed that most people reported that they did not change their usual diet; in addition, an increase in cooking habits, consumption of fruits and vegetables and a decrease in the consumption of alcoholic beverages was observed. A decrease in fish consumption and an increase in comfort foods were also reported. It was found that food habits changed in times of social isolation. We suggest that new investigations be carried out in different socioeconomic and demographic frameworks. We propose to continue the study on this theme, with a systematic review with or without meta-analysis.

This study aims to describe the time trend of age at menarche in Brazilian schoolgirls evaluated in 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019, and to assess its association with having overweight, including obesity and socio-economic conditions. Three cross-sectional studies were carried out in 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019 in schoolchildren enrolled between the second and ninth years of elementary school and comprising 838, 688 and 326 schoolgirls, respectively. Body mass index Z scores were calculated and categorised as either without overweight or with overweight (including obesity). The type of school (a proxy of socio-economic condition) was categorised as either public or private. Menarche data were collected using the status quo and recall methods. The mean age at menarche was estimated by survival analysis. Differences in age at menarche according to the year of survey, weight status and type of school were verified by the Log-Rank test and Cox's univariate and multiple regression. There was an increase in the prevalence of overweight in girls throughout the surveys, with 21.4% in 2007, 27.2% in 2012 and 28.5% in 2018 (p = 0.007) having overweight. There was a decrease in the mean age at menarche between 2007 and 2018/2019 (12.3 vs. 11.9 years, respectively). The mean age at menarche in girls with overweight was lower in the three time periods when compared to girls without overweight (11.9, 11.8 and 11.5 vs. 12.4, 12.4 and 12.1, respectively).Girls with overweight were more likely to have had earlier age at menarche than girls without overweight (Hazard Ratio 1.57; 95% CI 1.36; 1.80). There were no differences in the age at menarche according to the type of school. The increase in the prevalence of girls with overweight (including obesity) may be associated with the age at menarche. Girls with overweight had a higher risk of earlier age at menarche than girls without overweight.

Background Older adults are one of the most susceptible populations to depression, especially those living in low- and middle-income countries. As well, they are also considering a risk group for vitamin D deficiency. Low serum vitamin D has been associated with an increased risk of brain neuropsychiatry disorders. We aimed to investigate the association between serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations and depressive symptoms in adults aged 60 years and over from southern Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data collected during 2013–2014 from the populational-based longitudinal EpiFloripa Aging Study (n = 1197). Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations were analyzed and classified according to the Endocrine Society reference values [sufficiency (≥ 30 ng/mL), insufficiency (21–29 ng/mL), and deficiency (≤ 20 ng/mL)]. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale (15-item GDS). Logistic regression was performed to assess depressive symptoms in each vitamin D category. The analysis was adjusted for sex, age, skin color, family income, leisure-time physical activities, social or religious groups attendance, morbidities, cognitive impairment, and dependence in activities of daily living. Results A total of 557 participants with complete data for exposure and outcome were enrolled in the analysis. Most of the sample participants were female (63.1%), age-range 60–69 years (42.2%), white skin color (85.1%), and vitamin D serum level samples were collected in autumn (50.7%). Depressive symptoms were present in 15.8% of the participants, and the prevalence was higher in individuals classified as deficient in vitamin D (23.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 15.6;32.9) and insufficiency (17.2, 95%CI = 11.0;25.9). The crude analysis showed that vitamin D deficient participants had 3.08 (CI = 1.53;6.20) times higher odds to present depressive symptoms compared to vitamin D sufficiency. After adjusting, the association was maintained [OR 2.27 (95%CI = 1.05;4.94). Conclusions Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol deficiency was positively associated with depressive symptoms in older adults from southern Brazil.

Objective: To investigate the association between serum vitamin D (25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol) [25(OH)D] concentrations and cognitive impairment in older adults living in Southern Brazil. Design: Cross-sectional analysis using data from the second follow-up wave of the populational-based EpiFloripa Aging Cohort Study collected in 2013-2014. Setting: Cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Blood samples were collected to measure serum vitamin D concentrations using a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Vitamin D concentrations were distributed in quartiles (Q1: 4.0 to 20.7 ng/ml; Q2: 20.8 to 26.6 ng/ml; Q3: 26.7 to 32.0 ng/ml and Q4: 32.1 to 60.1 ng/ml), and its association with cognitive impairment was tested by crude and adjusted logistic regression (sociodemographic, behavioral, and health aspects) using Q4 as a reference group. Participants: 200 men and 371 women aged 60 years or older. Results: The prevalence of probable cognitive impairment was 21.7%. Those without cognitive impairment had higher mean of vitamin D serum concentrations (26.8 vs 24.6, p = 0.014). In the crude analysis, only individuals in Q2 of vitamin D presented an increased risk for probable cognitive impairment compared with Q4 (highest quartile) (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.46; 4.81), remaining significant in the adjusted analysis (OR 6.04, 95% CI 2.78; 13.13). While Q1 (lowest quartile) was not associated in the crude analysis, but when adjusted, an increased risk of cognitive impairment was observed. Conclusion: The lowest quartile of vitamin D was directly associated with probable cognitive impairment in older adults in Southern Brazil. More studies are needed to investigate whether maintaining adequate serum levels may represent a significant factor in preventing age-related neurological disorders as well as to verify the need for new cutoff points for this age group.