Métodos tradicionais de avaliação do consumo alimentar e dietético são aplicáveis em pessoas com deficiência visual?

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the self-reported ability of people with visual impairments to describe in detail their own diet, inherent to traditional dietary assessment methods. Method: Through an interview, socioeconomic and demographic aspects related to visual impairment were investigated. Participants were questioned about their ability to accurately inform without the help of others, the following aspects related to their diet: frequency, quantity, type, form of preparation, ingredients present in the preparations. Results: Among the participants (n=98), most were adults (84.7%), male (57.1%), with low vision (54.1%) and had visual impairment for more than half of their life (58.2%). The most frequent difficulties were related to the amount (17.3%) and the frequency of food consumption (16.3%), as well as to the ingredients of the preparations (14.3%). People with blindness and who had a visual impairment for more than half of their lives reported more difficulties in informing the amount of food (24.4% and 24.6%, respectively). Conclusion: High proportion of participants considered themselves as incapable to provide relevant details about their diet, which limits the use of traditional dietary assessment methods in people with different degrees of visual impairment