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Table 1 Characteristics of health professionals and their groups in Primary Health Care. São Paulo, Brazil, and Bogotá, Colombia, 2012

From: Promoting healthy eating in primary health care from the perspective of health professionals: a qualitative comparative study in the context of South America

Characteristics

São Paulo (n = 27)

Bogotá (n = 27)

General identification of professionals

Between 24 and 45 years of age, exclusively female.

Between 22 and 55 years of age, included 4 males.

Training of professionals

All had postgraduate qualifications.

Six reported having postgraduate qualifications.

Length of experience of professionals

Between 6 months and 4 years of experience on the job.

Between 1 month and 15 years of experience on the job.

Work routine of professionals

Individual consultations, therapeutic groups, home visits, team meetings and interviews, and support and advice for health teams.

Held workshops for people, made home visits, lead meetings and wrote reports on the intersectional Food and Nutrition Surveillance System.

Conformation of the nutrition education groups

Groups were organized based on health according to the service, the epidemiological information and demands from health centers. Focused on diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension or on the life cycle of specific groups, such as pregnant women, infants, children, parents and children, women and adolescents.

Groups were formed by popular initiative and health professionals worked with different institutions in a certain area. The number of meetings established and focused on the “You Are Valuable,” “Move On,” and “Maternal and Child Network” (Tú Vales, Muévete, Red Materno Infantil) programs, generally consisting of pregnant and lactating women, the elderly, multipliers, and teachers.

Development of the nutrition groups

Group meetings lasted between 1 and 2 h, were held weekly, biweekly, or monthly, were attended by 2 to 15 users, were both open and closed, and had a previously undefined number of meetings.

The meetings lasted between 1 and 3 ½ hours, were held weekly, biweekly, or monthly and the groups were attended by 3 to 31 users. The groups were closed, and the number of meetings was pre-established.