title: Influence of the Bolsa Família program on nutritional status and food frequency of schoolchildren.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the food frequency and nutritional status among students according to participation in the Bolsa Família program funded by the government.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study carried out with students from the fourth grade of elementary school in the municipal capital of the southeastern region of Brazil. Food consumption and anthropometry were investigated by a questionnaire administered in school, while participation in the Bolsa Família program and other socio-economic information was obtained through a protocol applied to mothers/guardians. Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney test, the chi-squared test, and Poisson regression with robust variance, and the 5% significance level was adopted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 319 children evaluated; 56.4% were male, with a median of 9.4 (8.6-11.9) years, and 37.0% were beneficiaries of Bolsa Família program. Between the two groups, there was high prevalence of regular soda consumption (34.3%), artificial juice (49.5%), and sweets (40.3%), while only 54.3% and 51.7% consumed fruits and vegetables regularly, respectively. Among participants of Bolsa Família program, a prevalence 1.24 times higher in the regular consumption of soft drinks (95% CI: 1.10-1.39) was identified compared to non-beneficiaries. The prevalence of overweight was higher in the sample (32.9%), with no difference according to participation in the program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study found increased consumption of soft drinks among BFP participants. The high rate of overweight and poor eating habits denote the need to develop actions to promote healthy eating, especially for the beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família program, to promote improvements in nutritional status and prevent chronic diseases throughout life.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: arienecarmo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ariene Silva
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: do Carmo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lorena Magalhães
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela Rodrigues
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luana Caroline
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001938:Brazil; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D000067030:Fruit and Vegetable Juices; D006078:Government Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011632:Public Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: Anthropometry; Antropometria; Children; Consumo alimentar; Crianças; Food consumption; Government programs; Programas governamentais