Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS): rationale and study design

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/Design

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.

Discussion

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.

Trial Registration

Clinical Trials NCT02226627

Prevalence of eating disorders in Argentine boys and girls, aged 10 to 19, who are in primary care. A two-stage community-based survey

The objective of this paper is to describe the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in Argentina, in a randomly assigned national community-based sample of 1,231 girls and 740 boys in primary care, aged 10 to 19.9. A two-stage design was followed; subjects were screened with a self-report measure (EDE-Q4), and diagnosed with an expert-based interview (EDE-120D). Height, weight and BMI were measured and five subscales of the SCL90-R were completed. More than one quarter (a 26.4%) of the sample had a BMI greater than the 90th percentile, and these accounted for 48% of the suspected cases of ED. Only 42% returned for the EDE-12 interview; diagnosis was confirmed for 137 cases (6.9% of the total sample): 6.6% BED; 0.05% BN, and 0.3% EDNOS other than BED. Binge eating and restraint of food intake related directly to BMI and purging behaviors were very rare. More subjects than expected were found to be overweight and this related directly to the diagnosed ED. Psychological distress was directly related the presence of eating disturbances.