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Artigo Data report: educational pathway addressing food and nutrition in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on the AVASUS platform(Frontiers in Digital Health, 2025-01-05) Coutinho, Karla Mônica Dantas; Fernandes, Felipe Ricardo dos Santos; Medeiros, Kelson da Costa; Coutinho, Karilany Dantas; Dias, Aline de Pinho; Valentim, Ricardo Alexsandro de Medeiros; Leite-Lais, Lucia; Lima, Kenio CostaAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neuromuscular degenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons, which leads to the gradual atrophy of skeletal and respiratory muscles (1–3). The etiology of ALS is multifactorial (2). The disease typically begins in a specific region, affecting the upper or lower limbs, bulbar areas, or respiratory system. As it progresses, it results in muscle paralysis and/or respiratory dysfunction (4). Malnutrition is common among ALS patients, with prevalence ranging from 16% to 55% at the time of diagnosis, increasing with disease progression (5). Weight loss and malnutrition are associated with faster disease progression, higher risk of complications, decline in quality of life, and reduced survival (5–7). Since nutritional status and metabolic balance impact the prognosis of ALS patients (8, 9), integrating nutritional care into the multidisciplinary treatment of ALS is imperative (10). In other words, multidisciplinary care strategies that focus on managing symptoms and improving nutritional status can enhance the quality of life and extend survival for ALS patients (11, 12). Caregivers of ALS patients play a vital and continuous role in patient care and should be considered integral members of the multidisciplinary team. Both health professionals and caregivers often require specialized training to effectively support ALS patients. In this context, health education is essential because it not only promotes health and prevents complications but also fosters engaged individuals who are equipped with the skills for self-care and autonomy (13, 14). In health education, the use of technology-mediated interactions aligns with the growing role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in creating innovative and dynamic educational approaches. These initiatives have enhanced the connection between communication, science, and society (15, 16). The Virtual Learning Environment of the Brazilian Health System (AVASUS) is a free and open technology-mediated educational platform of Brazil's Ministry of Health. AVASUS was developed by the Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Health (LAIS) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), through technical and scientific cooperation (17–20). The platform offers professional qualification and refresher courses within the Brazilian National Health System (SUS), designed to promote, support, and enhance continuing health education (18, 21). Additionally, it serves as a key tool for fostering resilience and responsiveness within the health system. AVASUS is accessible free of charge to health professionals, students, and the general public. Recent data show that AVASUS has over 1.2 million users, more than 3.3 million enrollments, and 424 active courses (22), making it the third-largest public health education platform globally. Studies have demonstrated that AVASUS fosters massive health professional training in various areas of health (17, 18, 23, 24). In light of this, this study aimed to structure and share a database capable of serving as a basis for studies interested in this type of information for health education. It provides a demographic characterization of students enrolled in the educational pathway addressing food and nutrition for people living with ALS. Additionally, it includes descriptive information about the courses within this pathway, in which 20,967 enrollments from the five regions of Brazil and abroad have enrolled