Profile and Performance of Managers of Food and Nutrition actions in the State of Paraíba, Brazil ; Perfil y actuación de gestores de las acciones de alimentación y nutrición en el estado de Paraíba, Brasil ; Perfil e atuação de gestores das ações de alimentação e nutrição no estado da Paraíba, Brasil

The purpose of the study is to describe the profile and performance of municipal coordinators of food and nutrition actions in Primary Health Care. This was a cross-sectional study involving 74 managers in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Information was collected on demographic; labor and training characteristics; knowledge and use of technical documents in the area; actions developed and satisfaction with the work. Of the total, 19 coordinators were trained in nutrition, 13 were men and 46 were employed without a public competition. Nutritionists were more qualified to handle public health nutrition issues during undergraduate studies. Several technical documents of the area were referred to as not known and not used; in some of them, nutritionists presented a better situation, which was similar for the development of some actions. In addition to the importance of the nutritionist, the findings highlight problems of structure; poorly trained professionals; lack of articulation (intersectoral and between municipal and local levels); insufficient remuneration and inappropriate management mechanisms. It is concluded that coordinators lack links, training, knowledge, and adequate performance for the management of the nutrition area in Primary Health Care. ; El estudio tiene el propósito de describir el perfil y actuación de coordinadores municipales de las acciones de alimentación y nutrición de la Atención Primaria a la Salud. Se trata de un estudio transversal, con participación de 74 gestores del estado de Paraíba, Brasil. Se recolectaron informaciones sobre características demográficas, laborales y formativas; conocimiento y utilización de documentos técnicos del área; acciones desarrolladas y satisfacción con el trabajo. Del total, 19 coordinadores eran formados en Nutrición, 13 eran hombres y 46 tenían vínculo sin que fuera por concurso público. Nutricionistas se mostraron más habilitados para manejar cuestiones de nutrición en salud pública durante el pregrado. Varios documentos técnicos del área fueron ...