Sebastião Sousa Almeida

Relação entre índice de massa corporal e a percepção da auto-imagem em universitários

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between body mass index and self-perception of body image. METHODS A study was carried out in a sample comprising 106 female and male university students aged 18 years or more in Ribeirão Preto, Southeastern Brazil, in 2003. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale and Visual Analogue Scale were used to evaluate body image perception; the former was applied using two different psychometric methods. A body image questionnaire was used to assess the subjective component of body image. Subjects were classified according to body mass index. Statistical analyses were performed through variance analysis and Newman-Keuls post-hoc test. RESULTS Most normal weight or overweight women (87%) overestimated their body size while obese women and all men (73%), regardless of their BMI, underestimated their body size. The differences of body image perception between men and women were statistically significant as well as the overall dissatisfaction with their perceived body size, revealed by a desired lower body mass index. Overweight women were more concerned and uncomfortable with their own body. CONCLUSIONS Both men and women had a distorted self-perception of body image, underestimating or overestimating it. The study results suggest dissatisfaction of subjects with their body image as they desire to have leaner bodies.OBJETIVO: Analisar as relacoes entre o indice de massa corporal e a autopercepcao da imagem corporal. METODOS: Foram avaliados 106 estudantes universitarios, de ambos os sexos, maiores de 18 anos, na regiao de Ribeirao Preto, Estado de Sao Paulo, em 2003. Para avaliar a percepcao da imagem corporal, utilizou-se uma escala de silhuetas e uma escala visual analogica; a primeira aplicada por dois metodos psicometricos distintos. Para a avaliacao do componente subjetivo da imagem corporal foi aplicado um questionario sobre imagem corporal. A avaliacao do estado nutricional considerou a classificacao do indice de massa corporal. Os dados foram submetidos a analise de variância e teste post-hoc de Newman-Keuls. RESULTADOS: A maioria das mulheres eutroficas ou com sobrepeso (87%) superestimaram seu tamanho corporal enquanto mulheres obesas e homens (73%), independente do indice de massa corporal, subestimaram o tamanho corporal. As diferencas devido a genero foram estatisticamente significativas, bem como a insatisfacao geral com a imagem corporal percebida, mostrado pelo desejo por menores valores do indice de massa corporal. As mulheres com sobrepeso apresentaram maior preocupacao e desconforto com o corpo. CONCLUSOES: Tanto homens como mulheres apresentaram distorcao na autopercepcao da imagem corporal, subestimando ou superestimando-a. Os resultados sugerem insatisfacao com a imagem corporal, na medida em que desejam ter seus corpos mais magros.

Prenatal protein malnutrition affects exploratory behavior of female rats in the elevated plus-maze test

To study the effects of prenatal protein deficiency in the exploration of the elevated plus-maze, an ethological procedure was used. Female rats were provided with 25% (control) or with 6% (low-protein) casein diets before and during pregnancy. After birth eight pups in each litter (six males and two females) were fostered to a control mother. After weaning (21 days of age) all animals received a lab chow diet until behavioral testing began at 70 days of age. Individual prenatally malnourished (n = 12) and well-nourished (n = 12) females were placed at the center of the elevated plus-maze and allowed to explore for a 5-min session. One session was given per day for 6 consecutive days. The following variables were recorded: percentage of open arm entries; percentage of time spent in open arms; total arm entries; time in the center platform; latency to first open arm entry; number of attempts to enter an open arm; number of rearings; number of head-dips. The results showed a significant effect of malnutrition on six behaviors (percent open arm entries, percent time spent in open arms, attempts to enter open arms, rearings, head-dips, and latency to first open arm entry) and a significant diet by session interaction on two behaviors (attempts to enter open arms and head-dips). These results indicate increased exploration of the open arms in prenatally malnourished as compared with well-nourished control rats, suggestive of lower anxiety and/or a higher impulsiveness in these animals.

Quantidade e qualidade de produtos alimentícios anunciados na televisão brasileira

The main objective of the study was to analyze the amount and quality of food advertisement on Brazilian television in three different times of the day. The results showed that food products, when compared to other products, were the most frequently advertised, regardless of the time of the day in a given week analyzed. Television promotes food predominantly high in fat and/or sugar and salt. The large number of high fat and/or sugar and salt products advertised can contribute to changing food habits of children and teenagers, and increasing the incidence of obesity in the population.

Malnutrition and Reactivity to Drugs Acting in the Central Nervous System

There is a well-established body of data demonstrating that protein or protein-calorie malnutrition experienced early in life is associated with neuroanatomical, neurochemical, as well as behavioral alterations in both animals and humans. A number of studies has focused on the following question: are the neuroanatomical and/or neurochemical changes produced by early malnutrition responsible for the altered behaviors reported in malnourished animals? A tool that has been used to help answer this question is the administration of drugs with specific actions in the various neurotransmitter systems in the central nervous system (CNS). This neuropharmacological approach has produced a considerable amount of data demonstrating that malnourished animals react to drugs differently from controls, suggesting that the altered behavioral expression of these animals could be partly explained by the alterations in the brain function following malnutrition. The present review will provide an overview of the literature investigating the reactivity of malnourished animals to psychoactive drugs acting through GABAergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, opioid and cholinergic neurotransmitter systems. Altered responsiveness to psychoactive drugs in malnourished animals may be especially relevant to understanding the consequences of malnutrition in human populations.

Effects of early protein malnutrition and repeated testing upon locomotor and exploratory behaviors in the elevated plus-maze

An elevated plus-maze was used to investigate the effects of repeated testing on the locomotor and exploratory behaviors of malnourished rats. Pup malnutrition was induced during the lactation period (0 to 21 days of age) by feeding the dams a protein-deficient diet (6% protein) and the animals were allowed to recover from weaning to 70 days of age by eating a commercial lab chow diet. Control animals were suckled by dams receiving a normal protein diet (16% protein) during the lactation period and were fed a commercial lab chow diet after weaning. At 70 days, malnourished and control animals were placed on the central platform of the elevated plus-maze facing an enclosed arm and allowed to explore for 5 min. This procedure was repeated at 24-h intervals for 6 days. The repeated testing in the elevated plus-maze did not change the total number of arm entries and attempts to enter open arms, but decreased the percentage of open arm entries, time spent in open arms, and total time spent on the central platform. These data suggest an increase in anxiety with repeated testing in the elevated plus-maze. In addition, the malnourished animals showed a larger number of both rearings and attempts to enter the open arms, suggesting a high level of exploration and/or high impulsiveness of these animals as compared to control. The elevated plus-maze proved to be a useful animal model to evaluate exploratory behaviors in early protein malnourished animals.

Early Postnatal Protein-Calorie Malnutrition and Cognition: A Review of Human and Animal Studies

Malnutrition continues to be recognized as the most common and serious form of children’s dietary disease in the developing countries and is one of the principal factors affecting brain development. The purpose of this paper is to review human and animal studies relating malnutrition to cognitive development, focusing in correlational and interventional data, and to provide a discussion of possible mechanisms by which malnutrition affects cognition.

Early life protein malnutrition changes exploration of the elevated plus-maze and reactivity to anxiolytics.

In order to investigate whether protein malnutrition in early life causes lasting changes in reactivity to anxiolytic drugs, exploration of the elevated plus-maze was used. Rat dams during lactation (21 days) and pups after weaning until day 49 of life were fed on 8% casein diet (M rats), while their well-nourished controls received 25% casein (W rats). From day 50 on all animals ate the same balanced diet. Experiments started on day 70. Under the non-drug condition, M rats tended to explore the open arms of the maze relatively more than W rats. Diazepam (0.5–5 mg/kg, IP) dose-dependently increased the percentage of open/total arm entries without significantly affecting the total number of arm entries in W rats. This selective anxiolytic effect of diazepam was considerably smaller in M rats. Ipsapirone (0.5–5 mg/kg) caused a similar though less pronounced anxiolytic effect in W rats, whereas the drug decreased both the % open/total and total arm entries in M rats. In contrast, ritanserin (0.05–1 mg/kg) significantly increased the % open/total arm entries in M rats only, though not in a dose-dependent way. Isamoltane (2.5–20 mg/kg) was ineffective on both M and W rats. These results indicate that early protein malnutrition causes long-lasting alterations in brain systems regulating emotional behaviour.

Prenatal protein malnutrition affects avoidance but not escape behavior in the elevated T-maze test

An elevated T-maze was used to study the effects of prenatal protein deficiency on inhibitory avoidance and escape behaviors. Female rats were provided with a 25% (control) or a 6% (low protein) casein diets before and during pregnancy. After birth, eight pups in each litter (six males and two females) were fostered to a lactating well-nourished mother. After weaning (21 days of age) all animals received a lab chow diet. Behavioral testing of these offspring began at 70 days of age. To assess inhibitory avoidance, prenatally malnourished and control rats were placed individually at the end of an enclosed arm in an elevated T-maze (one enclosed and two open arms) and the time taken to emerge from this arm was recorded. The same procedure was repeated in 2 subsequent trials given at 30-s intervals. Thirty seconds after the last of these trials, the rat was placed at the end of one open arm and the time taken to withdraw from this arm was measured, thus estimating escape latency. To assess retention, inhibitory avoidance and escape were measured again 72 h later. Prenatally malnourished males and females did not significantly increase avoidance latency from trials 1-3, in contrast to male and female controls. Only control female rats significantly reduced their avoidance latency on the retention test. No significant differences in escape latency were found between diet groups. These results suggest that prenatal malnutrition results in a reduction of anxiety, and that there are gender-specific responses to this test.

Effects of early protein malnutrition and environmental stimulation upon the reactivity to diazepam in two animal models of anxiety

In order to investigate the effects of early protein malnutrition and environmental stimulation upon the response to the anxiolytic properties of diazepam, two animal models of anxiety (elevated plus-maze and light-dark transition tests) were used. Rats were malnourished by feeding their dams a 6% protein diet during the lactation period (0-21 days of age) while well-nourished controls received a 16% protein diet. From 21 to 70 days of age all rats received a balanced lab chow diet. Environmental stimulation consisted of 3-min daily handling from birth to 70 days of age. Additional stimulation was provided from 21 to 70 days of age by rearing the rats in an enriched living cage. Eight groups of rats were studied in a 2 (malnourished or well-nourished) x 2 (stimulated or nonstimulated) x 2 (diazepam or vehicle) design. At 70 days of age, independent groups of rats treated with diazepam (2.5 mg/kg, IP) or vehicle were submitted to testing in the elevated plus-maze or light-dark transition procedures. The results showed that both diazepam and environmental stimulation reduced anxiety in the elevated plus-maze; stimulation changed the anxiolytic response to diazepam and the two diet conditions altered differentially the response to both pharmacological and stimulation procedures. These results suggest that environmental stimulation can affect differentially the behavioral response of malnourished and well-nourished rats treated with diazepam.

Construção e Fidedignidade Teste-Reteste de Escalas de Silhuetas Brasileiras para Adultos e Crianças

The aim of this work was to develop figure rating scales to evaluate the body image of Brazilian adults and children. Adults and children with known Body Mass Index (BMI) were photographed and had their silhouettes drawn. Based on that, the scales were made by computer graphics. To evaluate the reliability of the scales, test-retest was applied with a gap of one month. Participants included 90 adults (18-60 years old) and 69 children (7-12 years old) of both genders. The instruments presented positive and significant correlations between test and retest for the actual BMI and those perceived as current by adults (r=0,84; p<0,01) and children (r=0,61, p<0,01). It was concluded that the developed scales represent useful instruments for clinical and epidemiological research involving body image perception of Brazilian adults and children.