Organizational readiness for implementation of food and nutrition surveillance in Brazilian primary health care: a cross-sectional study
- 1Graduate Program in Health and Development in the Central-West Region, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul
- 2Observatório de Condições Crônicas e Alimentação, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food and Nutrition, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul
Abstract
Background Food and Nutrition Surveillance is a key strategy of Brazil’s National Food and Nutrition Policy and plays a central role in the organization of nutritional actions in primary health care. Despite its strategic importance, food and nutrition surveillance implementation faces persistent challenges related to training gaps, funding discontinuities, and limited institutional support. This study assessed the organizational readiness of primary health care professionals for food and nutrition surveillance implementation via the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) instrument. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, during a state-level permanent education event in 2023. Eighty-five primary health care professionals from 49 municipalities responded to the Brazilian version of the ORIC instrument, adapted for the food and nutrition surveillance context. ORIC measures two core constructs: change commitment and change efficacy. The statistical data were analyzed and compared with the readiness levels by professional category (frontline representation) and health macroregion. Results The mean ORIC score indicated neutral to moderate readiness across participants (commitment: 3.65; efficacy: 3.71 on a 5-point Likert scale). Nurses and physical education professionals exhibited the highest levels of readiness, surpassing the threshold of 4.0 in both domains. In contrast, nutritionists—despite being the professional group most directly associated with the food and nutrition surveillance—scored lower. Geographic disparities were also evident: professionals from the Eastern Border and Southern Cone regions reported greater readiness than those from the Central and Pantanal macroregions did. Conclusions The findings reveal important gaps in organizational readiness for food and nutrition surveillance implementation in primary health care, particularly among nutritionists and in certain territories, suggesting limited engagement or perceived capacity to implement the policy. These results emphasize the need for regionally tailored strategies, stronger integration with permanent education initiatives, and institutional support mechanisms. The ORIC instrument proved to be a useful tool for assessing team-level readiness and guiding implementation efforts. Applying implementation science frameworks may help foster greater alignment between health professionals’ practices and policy goals, ensuring more equitable and sustainable integration of food and nutrition surveillance in primary health care.
Related
- Use of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System in epidemiological studies on the nutrition profile of the Brazilian population: a scoping review, Brazil, 2008-2025.
- Temporal Transitions in Dietary Patterns and Their Associations with Overweight and Obesity Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Southern China: Evidence from Four Rounds of Nutrition Surveillance, 2002–2022
- Professional engagement and implementation appraisal in China’s national nutrition week: a nationwide cross-sectional study
- Association between breastfeeding indicators and early childhood development: results from the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition Associação entre indicadores de aleitamento materno e desenvolvimento infantil: resultados do Estudo Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição Infantil Asociación entre los indicadores de lactancia materna y el desarrollo en la primera infancia: resultados del Estudio Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición Infantil
- Reported fatality ratios and surveillance data readiness: a test applied to health zones in the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease epidemic, Democratic Republic of the Congo
BibTeX
@article{moraes2026organizational,
title = {{Organizational readiness for implementation of food and nutrition surveillance in Brazilian primary health care: a cross-sectional study}},
author = {Gabriel Barbosa Delmondes de Moraes and Camila Medeiros da Silva Mazzeti and Rafael Aiello Bomfim and Anderson Leão Nogueira Holsbach and Maria Lígia Rodrigues Macedo and Bruna Paola Murino Rafacho},
journal = {BMC Health Services Research},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12913-026-14867-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-14867-7},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Organizational readiness for implementation of food and nutrition surveillance in Brazilian primary health care: a cross-sectional study
AU - Gabriel Barbosa Delmondes de Moraes
AU - Camila Medeiros da Silva Mazzeti
AU - Rafael Aiello Bomfim
AU - Anderson Leão Nogueira Holsbach
AU - Maria Lígia Rodrigues Macedo
AU - Bruna Paola Murino Rafacho
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC Health Services Research
DO - 10.1186/s12913-026-14867-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-14867-7
AB - Background Food and Nutrition Surveillance is a key strategy of Brazil’s National Food and Nutrition Policy and plays a central role in the organization of nutritional actions in primary health care. Despite its strategic importance, food and nutrition surveillance implementation faces persistent challenges related to training gaps, funding discontinuities, and limited institutional support. This study assessed the organizational readiness of primary health care professionals for food and nutrition surveillance implementation via the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) instrument. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, during a state-level permanent education event in 2023. Eighty-five primary health care professionals from 49 municipalities responded to the Brazilian version of the ORIC instrument, adapted for the food and nutrition surveillance context. ORIC measures two core constructs: change commitment and change efficacy. The statistical data were analyzed and compared with the readiness levels by professional category (frontline representation) and health macroregion. Results The mean ORIC score indicated neutral to moderate readiness across participants (commitment: 3.65; efficacy: 3.71 on a 5-point Likert scale). Nurses and physical education professionals exhibited the highest levels of readiness, surpassing the threshold of 4.0 in both domains. In contrast, nutritionists—despite being the professional group most directly associated with the food and nutrition surveillance—scored lower. Geographic disparities were also evident: professionals from the Eastern Border and Southern Cone regions reported greater readiness than those from the Central and Pantanal macroregions did. Conclusions The findings reveal important gaps in organizational readiness for food and nutrition surveillance implementation in primary health care, particularly among nutritionists and in certain territories, suggesting limited engagement or perceived capacity to implement the policy. These results emphasize the need for regionally tailored strategies, stronger integration with permanent education initiatives, and institutional support mechanisms. The ORIC instrument proved to be a useful tool for assessing team-level readiness and guiding implementation efforts. Applying implementation science frameworks may help foster greater alignment between health professionals’ practices and policy goals, ensuring more equitable and sustainable integration of food and nutrition surveillance in primary health care.
SN - 1472-6963
ER -