Avaliação do atendimento de escolares com Necessidades Alimentares Especiais no âmbito do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is considered the largest public policy in food and nutrition in the country. To serve students with Special Dietary Needs (SEN), it is required by law to prepare modified menus for specific purposes, such as food allergies, diabetes, lactose intolerance, celiac disease or any other condition that may require differentiated school meals. Considering the relevance of the theme, the present research aimed to evaluate the assistance provided to students with SEN in public schools in Rio Grande do Norte (RN). A cross-sectional study was performed, with a probabilistic sampling plan, stratified by sphere of education, at three levels: municipal, state, and federal. Data collection took place through the application, together with those responsible for the management of the school unit, of a semistructured questionnaire, prepared from the reference notebook on school feeding for students with SEN. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Data were collected from 609 schools in the RN, 461 of which were municipal schools, 142 state schools and 6 federal schools. The results by sphere of education showed that 51% of municipal schools, 50% of federal schools and 25% of state schools provided assistance to students with SEN. Therefore, it is concluded that SEN are partially attended to in public schools in the state of RN, that managers and coordinators who have knowledge through training (p<0.001) or personal experience (p<0.001) with SEN are predominantly those who provide this service. There is still no food preparation for students with SEN, either because of the lack of training of the employees involved, or because of the lack of sending specific foods, or because of the failure to identify students who have such needs