Conhecimentos e práticas sobre alimentação e nutrição infantil por parte das amas

Abstract

The Childminder, a simple person with good origins, was, throughout history, responsible for ensuring basic care for children from good families. Decree-Law No. 158/84 aimed to legally frame this profession, listing the requirements, demands and rights of all those who, through a set of characteristics and approval by regulatory entities, wish to make their home the place where a group stays; equal to or less than four children, aged between four months and three years. In 2022, as a way of ensuring that childhood social responses are free of charge, meals for children in a childminder' care became her responsibility. With vague legislation and the obligation to prepare meals, the objective of this work was to characterize attitudes, beliefs, values and practices related to food, understand the level of knowledge, understand the factors associated with their food choices and, finally, create a document support technician with practical guidance to promote healthy eating. To collect data, a semi-structured interview was used, applied to eleven Childminders. Everyone was asked for permission to record the interview. Subsequently, the recording was transcribed and relevant information was extracted. The interviewees presented diverse experiences, which could be explained by the regulations in force at the time they started their activity, or by the type of nanny. Regarding sources of information, they use educators and training documents. The acquisition of products is done at the weekend and considers children's tastes, quality and price as factors to take into account in the selection. Cooking takes place at the beginning or end of the day, at lunch time the meal is heated on the stove. They choose fruit for the morning snack, lunch includes soup and a full meal, alternating between meat and fish, as well as including an egg meal as a protein source. The afternoon snack varies, according to the food sent by the parents. It was possible to understand the routines of the Childminders, and it is clear that these professionals are devoid of guidelines and legislation, with the organization and planning of meals dependent on the knowledge acquired with individual experience and ability to search for information. Organizing documents for this response and its reality will allow you to structure meals more easily as well as increase your food literacy, making this educational agent more capable of promoting food education.

Date of Award	18 Dec 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Elisabete Pinto (Supervisor) & Claúdia Afonso (Supervisor)