Latin American Survey of Nutrition and Health / Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud

This study aims to make a proper scientific assessment on the dietary intake and physical activity levels of a representative sample of the urban population of 8 Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela). The study was based on complex, multistage sample design, stratified by conglomerates, being all regions of each country represented, and random selection of main cities within each region according to probability proportional to size method. Sample will be stratified by gender, age (15 to 65 years old), and socioeconomic level. Socioeconomic levels will be balanced and divided in three strata (high, medium and low) based on national indexes used in each country. All the study sites are university-based and will adhere to a common study protocol for training, implementation of fieldwork, data collection and management, and quality control procedures to be performed simultaneously. All participants will be required to provide a written informed consent. A pilot study at small scale will be performed in each country in order to test procedures and tools involved in ELANS. Anthropometric variables, including body weight, height, waist, hip and neck circumferences will be measured according to a standardized protocol. Nutritional intake evaluation will be performed using two 24-hour dietary recalls, with 'multiple pass' procedure and a food frequency questionnaire. Nutritional data will be entered in Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R, Minnesota University) after a harmonization process between local foods and NDSR database. Physical activity and energy expenditure will be assessed by IPAQ-long version questionnaire and 7-day accelerometry.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Dietary Habits; Overweight and Obesity

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 9000

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Argentina
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • International Life Science Institute (ILSI)
• Brazil
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil
    • Instituto Pensi- Fundação Jose Luiz Setubal - Hospital Infantil Sabara
• Chile
  • Santiago, Chile
    • Departamento de Nutrición, Diabetes y Metabolismo, Centro de Nutrición Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas - Pontificia Universidad Católica
• Colombia
  • Bogotá, Colombia
    • Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica - Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
• Costa Rica
  • San José, Costa Rica
    • Departamento de Bioquímica - Escuela de Medicina - Universidad de Costa Rica
• Ecuador
  • Quito, Ecuador
    • Universidad San Francisco de Quito
• Peru
  • Lima, Peru
    • Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional
• Venezuela
  • Caracas, Venezuela
    • Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo - Universidade Central da Venezuela (CENDES-UCV)/Fundación Bengoa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 65 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The sample will include subjects of both sexes, between 15 and 65 years old, considering four age ranges (as see below), that belong to high, middle or low socioeconomic levels (SEL), living in private households in the major cities and other relevant cities in terms of population weight, according to the regions of each of the countries selected for the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• males and females
• 15 to 65 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• Adolescents without assent and parent´s or legal guardian´s permission will be excluded
• Any adolescent or adult with mental and/or physical disability will be excluded.
• Any adolescent or adult with a chronic or acute illness that may affect normal eating behavior or energy expenditure will be excluded.
• Pregnant and nursing women of a child younger than 6 months will be excluded.
• Any adolescent or adult who is not able to read will be excluded.
• Any adolescent or adult who is not present at or refuses to accept the second visit will be excluded.
• Any adolescent or adult living in any residential settings different from a household (hospitals, regiments, homes, such as old-age homes, etc.) and mobile homes or trailers are excluded.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Only
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
overweight/obesity	overweight/obesity will be assessed via anthropometric evaluation	baseline
energy intake	Nutritional intake will be performed using two 24-hour dietary recalls, with 'multiple pass' procedure	2 food records will be applied with 7 days apart
energy expenditure	accelerometer measurement during 1 week	1 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
snack intake	snack intake will be evaluated using two 24-hour dietary recalls, with 'multiple pass' procedure	2 food records will be applied with 7 days apart
beverage intake	Beverage intake will be evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire	after 7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mauro Fisberg
• Collaborators: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Universidad de Costa Rica; Universidad Central de Venezuela; International Life Sciences Institute, Argentina; Universidad San Francisco de Quito; Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional, Peru
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mauro Fisberg, MD PhD, Instituto Pensi- Fundação Jose Luiz Setubal - Hospital Infantil Sabara

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ferrari G, Drenowatz C, Kovalskys I, Gómez G, Rigotti A, Cortés LY, García MY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Del'Arco AP, Peralta M, Marques A, Leme ACB, Sadarangani KP, Guzmán-Habinger J, Chaves JL, Fisberg M. Walking and cycling, as active transportation, and obesity factors in adolescents from eight countries. BMC Pediatr. 2022 Aug 30;22(1):510. doi: 10.1186/s12887-022-03577-8.
• Ferrari G, Farías-Valenzuela C, Guzmán-Habinger J, Drenowatz C, Marques A, Kovalskys I, Gómez G, Rigotti A, Cortés LY, Yépez García MC, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Marconcin P, Chávez JL, Fisberg M. Relationship between socio-demographic correlates and human development index with physical activity and sedentary time in a cross-sectional multicenter study. BMC Public Health. 2022 Apr 6;22(1):669. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13117-9.
• Yepez Garcia MC, Herrera-Cuenca M, Ferrari G, Sanabria LYC, Hernandez P, Almeida RY, Villar Caceres M, Gomez G, Pareja R, Rigotti A, Kovalskys I, Fisberg M. Energy Imbalance Gap, Anthropometric Measures, Lifestyle, and Sociodemographic Correlates in Latin American Adults-Results from the ELANS Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 20;19(3):1129. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031129.
• Ferrari G, Alberico C, Drenowatz C, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortes LY, Garcia MY, Liria-Dominguez MR, Herrera-Cuenca M, Peralta M, Marques A, Marconcin P, Cristi-Montero C, Leme ACB, Zimberg IZ, Farias-Valenzuela C, Fisberg M, Rollo S. Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of meeting the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines among latin american adults: a multi-national cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2022 Feb 3;22(1):217. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12613-2.
• Ferrari G, Werneck AO, Silva DR, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortes LY, Garcia MCY, Liria-Dominguez MR, Herrera-Cuenca M, Pratt M, Marques A, Van Dyck D, Leme ACB, Fisberg M. Perceived Urban Environment Attributes and Device-Measured Physical Activity in Latin America: An 8-Nation Study. Am J Prev Med. 2022 Apr;62(4):635-645. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.09.006. Epub 2021 Nov 19.
• Barreno M, Sisa I, Yépez García MC, Shen H, Villar M, Kovalskys I, Fisberg M, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortés LY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Guajardo V; ELANS Study Group. Association between built environment and physical activity in Latin American countries: a multicentre cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2021 Nov 3;11(11):e046271. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046271.
• Ferrari G, Guzmán-Habinger J, Chávez JL, Werneck AO, Silva DR, Kovalskys I, Gómez G, Rigotti A, Cortés LY, Yépez García MC, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Drenowatz C, Cristi-Montero C, Marques A, Peralta M, Leme ACB, Fisberg M. Sociodemographic inequities and active transportation in adults from Latin America: an eight-country observational study. Int J Equity Health. 2021 Aug 26;20(1):190. doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01524-0.
• Del'Arco APWT, Previdelli AN, Ferrari G, Fisberg M. Food intake, physical activity and body composition of adolescents and young adults: data from Brazilian Study of Nutrition and Health. BMC Public Health. 2021 Jun 12;21(1):1123. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-11171-3.
• Ferrari G, Marques A, Barreira TV, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortes LY, Garcia MCY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Guajardo V, Leme ACB, Guzman Habinger J, Valdivia-Moral P, Suarez-Reyes M, Ihle A, Gouveia ER, Fisberg M, On Behalf Of The Elans Study Group. Accelerometer-Measured Daily Step Counts and Adiposity Indicators among Latin American Adults: A Multi-Country Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 27;18(9):4641. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094641.
• Ferrari G, Werneck AO, Silva DR, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortes LY, Garcia MY, Liria M, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zimberg IZ, Guajardo V, Pratt M, Cristi-Montero C, Marques A, Peralta M, Bolados CC, Leme ACB, Rollo S, Fisberg M; ELANS Study Group. Agreement Between Self-Reported and Device-Based Sedentary Time among Eight Countries: Findings from the ELANS. Prev Sci. 2021 Nov;22(8):1036-1047. doi: 10.1007/s11121-021-01206-x. Epub 2021 Jan 27.
• Ferrari G, Werneck AO, da Silva DR, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Sanabria LYC, Garcia MY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zimberg IZ, Guajardo V, Pratt M, Cristi-Montero C, Rodriguez-Rodriguez F, Marques A, Cerin E, Van Dyck D, Pires C, Fisberg M; ELANS Study Group. Is the perceived neighborhood built environment associated with domain-specific physical activity in Latin American adults? An eight-country observational study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020 Oct 1;17(1):125. doi: 10.1186/s12966-020-01030-6.
• Ferrari GLM, Oliveira Werneck A, Rodrigues da Silva D, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Yadira Cortes Sanabria L, Garcia MCY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zalcman Zimberg I, Guajardo V, Pratt M, Cofre Bolados C, Fuentes Kloss R, Rollo S, Fisberg M. Socio-Demographic Correlates of Total and Domain-Specific Sedentary Behavior in Latin America: A Population-Based Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Aug 3;17(15):5587. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17155587.
• Ferrari GLM, Kovalskys I, Fisberg M, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Sanabria LYC, Garcia MCY, Torres RGP, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zimberg IZ, Guajardo V, Pratt M, Previdelli AN, Scholes S, Celis-Morales CA, Sole D; ELANS Study Group. Anthropometry, dietary intake, physical activity and sitting time patterns in adolescents aged 15-17 years: an international comparison in eight Latin American countries. BMC Pediatr. 2020 Jan 21;20(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-1920-x.
• Luis de Moraes Ferrari G, Kovalskys I, Fisberg M, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Sanabria LYC, Garcia MCY, Torres RGP, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zimberg IZ, Guajardo V, Pratt M, King AC, Sole D; ELANS Study Group. Original research Socio-demographic patterning of self-reported physical activity and sitting time in Latin American countries: findings from ELANS. BMC Public Health. 2019 Dec 23;19(1):1723. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-8048-7.
• Luis de Moraes Ferrari G, Kovalskys I, Fisberg M, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Sanabria LYC, Garcia MCY, Torres RGP, Herrera-Cuenca M, Zimberg IZ, Guajardo V, Pratt M, Pires C, Sole D; ELANS Study Group. Association of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with neck circumference in eight Latin American countries. BMC Public Health. 2019 Jun 24;19(1):809. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7153-y.
• Kovalskys I, Fisberg M, Gomez G, Pareja RG, Yepez Garcia MC, Cortes Sanabria LY, Herrera-Cuenca M, Rigotti A, Guajardo V, Zalcman Zimberg I, Nogueira Previdelli A, Moreno LA, Koletzko B; ELANS Study Group. Energy intake and food sources of eight Latin American countries: results from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS). Public Health Nutr. 2018 Oct;21(14):2535-2547. doi: 10.1017/S1368980018001222. Epub 2018 May 31.
• Fisberg M, Kovalskys I, Gomez G, Rigotti A, Cortes LY, Herrera-Cuenca M, Yepez MC, Pareja RG, Guajardo V, Zimberg IZ, Chiavegatto Filho ADP, Pratt M, Koletzko B, Tucker KL; ELANS Study Group. Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS): rationale and study design. BMC Public Health. 2016 Jan 30;16:93. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2765-y.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 22, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 25, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): August 27, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): September 8, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 6, 2016
• Last Verified: September 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: ELANS-2014