LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between the sense of coherence (SOC), eating behavior and nutritional status. DESIGN It is a systematic review. SETTING The following databases were searched: MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Direct/Elsevier, LILACS/Bireme, SciELO and Google Scholar, using the indexed terms' salutogenesis', 'sense of coherence', 'nutritional status', 'nutrition', 'eating behavior' and 'healthy eating'. The indexed terms were used in Portuguese and English according to the database searched. The data were extracted in a standardized way and the quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. PARTICIPANTS Observational studies were included, with no limitations on the date of publication or language. RESULTS After reading the titles and abstracts of 1855 articles, 107 full-texts were retrieved, of which 27 were included. Of these, 25 were cross-sectional and 2 were longitudinal. The average score for Newcastle Ottawa studies was 6 and most studies were rated as moderate and low quality. The cumulative sample size of all included studies was 28,981 adults and the elderly, aged between 18 and 81 years. The studies were carried out in 15 different countries. Fifteen articles assessed eating behavior/habit and 12 assessed nutritional status. Studies have shown that SOC has a positive relationship with an appropriate eating behavior/habit. On the other hand, the relationship between SOC and nutritional status was controversial among studies. The heterogeneity of the data resulting from the use of different methods of evaluation of the outcomes of interest (nutritional status and eating behavior) made it impossible to perform a meta-analysis. CONCLUSION SOC was positively associated to adequate eating behavior. However, it was not possible to establish a relationship between SOC and nutritional status.