INTRODUCTION:

A considerable number of Timorese living in Portugal justifies the need to investigate their eating habits, since to date there is a lack of information on this topic.

OBJETIVES: To evaluate the eating habits, nutritional status and lifestyles from a sample of the Timorese population living in Portugal.

METHODOLOGY:

This is a cross-sectional design, covering a sample of the Timorese population living in Portugal, aged 18 years or above. The sample comprised 88 individuals. A structured questionnaire for direct application was prepared, with questions related to sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyles and health status, anthropometric characteristics, eating habits and their changes after emigration. Data collection took place between February and March 2020.

RESULTS:

The sample include 82 responses from Timorese participants (mean age of 30 years, SD = 12). Most of them had a Body Mass Index corresponding to normality (64.1%) and 21.9% were pre-obese or obese. 26.5% of the participants ate their meals in a complete and healthy way. 62.2% of the sample reported improvements in their health status after coming to Portugal and 69.5%, considered that diet had an influence on this change. Regarding changes in EA, 70.7% of the respondents mentioned having changed the number of meals, 78.0% the quantities of food consumed and 58.5% the place where they usually ate.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among this sample of Timorese who came to Portugal, only one quarter of the sample had complete and healthy meals, and only half of them ate fruits and vegetables. Upon coming to Portugal, they reported an increasing of the number of meals, greater amounts of food and eating out more often. They reduced the practice of physical activity and one quarter of the sample smoked and drank alcohol weekly, with the number of hours of sleep within the recommended range. More than half of the sample had normal weight, with pre-obesity or obesity being present in about one quarter.

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