[Determination vitamin A source foods by pregnant women, using a simplified dietary assessment (SDA)]

The International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG) developed a research instrument based on consumption of vitamin-A food sources to classify populations into groups of high, moderate and low deficiency risk in the consumption of this nutrient. The instrument was tested on a population of 91 pregnant women who attended prenatal health care service run by School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo. Such instrument was termed Simplified Dietary Assessment (SDA) and it is comprised of a 24-hour dietary recall--Consumption Index (CI) and consumption frequency questionnaire--Usual Food Pattern (UFP). SDA pointed out the most consumed daily and weekly foods as being milk in liquid form, tomato, lettuce, margarine and banana. All these food sources belong to groups of low and moderate vitamin A content. Assignment in risk groups was based on the recommended dietary intake proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations--(FAO/OMS--1991) and two-thirds of the recommended intake was considered the cutting off point. According to data obtained by the SDA, more than 50% of the population interviewed was assigned to the High and Moderate risk groups for deficiency in vitamin A intake. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a significant statistical correlation r = 0.50 (p > 0.005) and a weighted Kappa value of (kw = 0.207), which suggests that the SDA is a useful instrument and is a reasonable means for risk assignment of vitamin A deficiency among groups with inadequate levels of intake of foods as sources of this nutrient. However, the results suggest that in order to evaluate vitamin A intake appropriately, a larger number of applications of the IC questionnaires would be required.