title: Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS): rationale and study design.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is growing at an alarming rate in Latin America. Lifestyle behaviours such as physical activity and dietary intake have been largely associated with obesity in many countries; however studies that combine nutrition and physical activity assessment in representative samples of Latin American countries are lacking. The aim of this study is to present the design rationale of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health/Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS) with a particular focus on its quality control procedures and recruitment processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ELANS is a multicenter cross-sectional nutrition and health surveillance study of a nationally representative sample of urban populations from eight Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela). A standard study protocol was designed to evaluate the nutritional intakes, physical activity levels, and anthropometric measurements of 9000 enrolled participants. The study was based on a complex, multistage sample design and the sample was stratified by gender, age (15 to 65 years old) and socioeconomic level. A small-scale pilot study was performed in each country to test the procedures and tools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study will provide valuable information and a unique dataset regarding Latin America that will enable cross-country comparisons of nutritional statuses that focus on energy and macro- and micronutrient intakes, food patterns, and energy expenditure.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinical Trials NCT02226627.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pensi, Fundação Jose Luiz Egydio Setubal, Hospital Infantil Sabara, São Paulo, 01239-040, Brazil. mauro.fisberg@gmail.com.|Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, 04023-062, Brazil. mauro.fisberg@gmail.com.|, Rua Borges Lagoa, 1080, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, CEP 04038-002, Brazil. mauro.fisberg@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fisberg
authors.affiliation: Commitee of Nutrition and Wellbeing, International Life Science Institute (ILSI-Argentina), Buenos Aires, C1059ABF, Argentina.|Departamento Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Favaloro, Buenos Aires, C1078AAI, Argentina.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kovalskys
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrición, Diabetes y Metabolismo, Centro de Nutrición Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago, 833-0024, Chile.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rigotti
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Cortés
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo, Universidad Central de Venezuela (CENDES-UCV)/Fundación Bengoa, Caracas, 1010, Venezuela.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera-Cuenca
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, 17-1200-841, Ecuador.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yépez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, 15026, Peru.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Pareja
authors.affiliation: Commitee of Nutrition and Wellbeing, International Life Science Institute (ILSI-Argentina), Buenos Aires, C1059ABF, Argentina.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guajardo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, 04023-062, Brazil.
authors.forename: I Z
authors.initials: IZ
authors.lastname: Zimberg
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 01255-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: A D P
authors.initials: ADP
authors.lastname: Chiavegatto Filho
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Sciences Program, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, 30322, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Center, D-80337, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tucker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology*; D004435:Eating / Q000208:ethnology; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000208:ethnology*; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology
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