Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Primary Health Care is the main entry point to the healthcare system and plays a key role in organizing the care network. To improve service delivery, characterizing the profile of users is essential, as it supports the organization of healthcare services and ensures adequate assistance. Objective: To determine the profile of patients referred to the nutrition service in a Primary Health Unit in the Federal District, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in 2022 with adults and older adults receiving nutritional care. The sample is characterized as non-probabilistic and select for convenience. Data were obtained through questionnaires and anthropometric assessment, organized in Excel spreadsheets, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, with absolute and relative frequencies. Results: Most users were female (76.6%), self-identified as mixed race, and had completed high school. A total of 48.3% reported earning up to one minimum wage, and 78.3% had a Noncommunicable Disease. Among adults, grade I obesity was the most prevalent condition (31.7%), while among the elderly there was predominance of overweight (57.9%). Additionally, 56.7% of users reported difficulties in acquiring basic food items during the pandemic. Conclusion: Social factors directly influence population health, and the pandemic posed a barrier to the continuity of health promotion and prevention actions in Primary Health Care. This study contributes to the development of strategies to improve nutritional care and optimize service organization.
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7119976803