Desenvolvimento das ações de Educação Alimentar e Nutricional e as condições de trabalho do nutricionista do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar: panorama de municípios goianos

Abstract

Food and Nutrition Education (FNE), within the context of Food and Nutrition Security, constitutes a field of knowledge and continuous, ongoing, transdisciplinary, and intersectoral practice aimed at the autonomous and voluntary development of healthy eating habits. Furthermore, it serves as a structural pillar and guiding principle of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The implementation of EAN in the school setting can be influenced by factors related to dietitians’ working conditions, such as workload, length of service in the Program, employment status, and the adequacy of the technical staff. This study evaluated the relationship between dietitians’ working conditions and the implementation of EAN activities within the PNAE in municipalities in the state of Goiás. This is an analytical crosssectional study conducted in 2023, with data collected through telephone interviews with dietitians or program managers using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using RStudio software, employing descriptive statistics and association tests, with a significance level of 5%. The study covered 97.97% of the municipalities in Goiás (n=241). The results indicated that, although most municipalities carried out EAN activities (93.36%; n=225), shortcomings persist regarding the technical staff of nutritionists (83.82%), the number of hours worked (74.04%), and the employment status of these professionals (51.95%). A positive association (p=0.0035) was observed between longer tenure in the Program and the implementation of EAN activities. Recreational activities (76.89%; n=173) and lectures (69.78%; n=157) were the most frequent methodological approaches, and the main challenges to implementing EAN included: lack of support from the school community (23.11%; n=52), inadequate work hours for nutritionists (17.80%; n=40), and insufficient technical staff (17.33%; n=39). The findings highlight the importance of strengthening the role of dietitians through improved working conditions and intersectoral coordination to enhance the quality of EAN initiatives within the context of the PNAE, for example, through educational planning and the integration of the school community into the process of developing these initiatives.