In recent years, a number of “major” and highly complex national epidemiological surveys have been carried out in Portugal. The National Food and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF, led by a consortium that included the FMUL), the National Health Survey with Physical Examination (INSEF, by the INSA), or well-known surveys related to rheumatic diseases, mental health, or diabetes are some examples.

However, it was important to study populations with specific and pressing health needs, which are less accessible and for which there is little information.

For example, very senior citizens and nursing home residents. On the latter, there were only a few local and limited studies, and the reality of these people is very little known and considered.
The Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, through the Epidemiology Unit of the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Institute, led a consortium of national and foreign universities that carried out the first national study on the nutritional status and eating habits of senior and very senior Portuguese citizens residing in the community and in nursing homes – the PEN-3S Project, whose main researcher is Professor Gorjão Clara.

This study has now been recognised with the Arnaldo Sampaio Public Health Prize. The Arnaldo Sampaio Public Health Prize, awarded every 2 years, aims at distinguishing the best work in Public Health Research carried out in the 2 preceding years. This is one of the most important national public health awards, and is promoted by the Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Public Health, with the support of APIFARMA.

The award-winning work is entitled “Nutritional status, cognitive function, symptoms of depression, functionality, and solitude in nursing home residents” and was written by Teresa Madeira, Catarina Peixoto-Plácido, Nuno Sousa-Santos, Violeta Alarcão, Paulo Jorge Nicola, Osvaldo Santos, and João Gorjão Clara. It was presented by Teresa Madeira after the award ceremony, during the XIV National Meeting of the Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Public Health (November 7, 2018, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation). In this ceremony, Professor Daniel Sampaio said a few words to honour the memory and pay tribute to his father, Professor Arnaldo Sampaio, and handed the prize to Professor Doctor Gorjão Clara.

The PEN-3S Project, in addition to focusing on the nutritional status and habits of the Portuguese senior citizens, and analysing aspects related to nutritional status and risk, also collected information on comorbidities, emotional state and solitude, functionality, and lifestyles. It also sought to develop instruments for the regular monitoring and epidemiological surveillance of the nutritional status of senior citizens. For more information, please visit the website of the PEN-3S Project, or write an e-mail to geral@pen3s.uepid.org.

This Project was funded by the EEA Grants (European Economic Area Grants, under the European Economic Area 2009-2014 Financial Mechanism) as part of the Public Health Initiatives Programme. In addition to researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, the research team integrated researchers from the Public Health Institute of the University of Porto, the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences of the University of Porto, the Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, United Kingdom, the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, and Orebro University, Sweden.

We will continue to analyse the data that have been collected and present and publish very relevant information on this neglected population, which poses challenges related to research and to the provision of very specific healthcare. You can read the available publications (link) or follow this project on Facebook.

Paulo Jorge Nicola

Physician, researcher

Professor, Visiting Assistant at the FMUL

Support in the Coordination of the Master’s Degree in Epidemiology