Anne Marcelle Marques Coelho, Marta Corr̮̻a Gomes, Christiane Leal Corr̮̻a
The process of malnutrition during pregnancy that leads to dysfunction of the fetus’ endocrine system is denominated metabolic programming. The mother's nutritional status can greatly influence the development of the child. We sought to evaluate the performance of health professionals working at the family health strategy regarding a group of pregnant women in a disadvantaged community in Rio de Janeiro. Sixty health professionals working answered a questionnaire with objective questions. Descriptive analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Inco, IL, USA). Of the respondents, 78% were Community Health Agents, nurses and nursing technician, 70% were female, 67% had completed high school and 25% had an University degree, 63% had less than three year experience in primary care. Among them, 43% were unaware and 45% had no opinion about the metabolic programming, 47% declared reading only eventually magazines and scientific articles about health. Regarding continuing education activities, 52% rarely participate in health care courses, 45% have the habit of participating in conferences. When asked about the most effective health information technology for community-based educational activities, the most cited were: women’s culinary workshops, informational folders, multimedia lectures and educational videos. We conclude that it is necessary to stimulate continuing education in primary care health unites due to the turnover of health care professionals.
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