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Alexandra Costa holds a bachelor's degree in Nutrition Sciences (2017) and a master's in Public Health (2020). In 2017, she completed an internship at the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (ISPUP). From 2018 to 2021, she worked as a research fellow at the same institution in the "Appetite and adiposity: evidence for gene-environment interactions in children" project. She is pursuing a PhD in Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine University of Porto with a scholarship awarded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Her doctoral research is focused on the development trajectory and natural history of appetitive traits across the lifespan. Alexandra's main research interests are eating behaviours and appetite, their determinants, and their relationship with obesity and health outcomes.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Alexandra Ferreira da Costa

Citation names

  • Costa, Alexandra

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
D310-8207-099E
ORCID iD
0000-0002-3773-4302

Email addresses

  • alexandra.costa@ispup.up.pt (Professional)

Addresses

  • Rua das Taipas 135, 4050-091 , Porto, Porto, Portugal (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Medical and Health Sciences - Health Sciences - Nutrition, Dietetics
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Health Sciences - Public and Environmental Health
Education
Degree Classification
2021/09/15 - 2025
Ongoing
 Doctoral Programme in Public Health (Doutoramento)
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
2018 - 2020
Concluded
 Public Health (Master)
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
"Weight, appetitive behaviours and parental feeding practices in childhood: their association and reciprocal influences " (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 18
2013 - 2017
Concluded
 Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor)
Universidade Fernando Pessoa Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Portugal
"Food neophobia and its association with food preferences and dietary intake of adults" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 15
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2019/02/16 - 2021/07/31 Researcher (Research) Universidade do Porto Instituto de Saúde Pública, Portugal
2018/01 - 2018/07 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade do Porto Instituto de Saúde Pública, Portugal

Others

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2017/02 - 2017/07 Curricular Internship Universidade Fernando Pessoa Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Portugal
2017/02 - 2017/07 Curricular Interneship Hospital-Escola da Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2021/09 - Current Development trajectory of appetitive behaviours across childhood: analyses of two birth cohorts
2021.05970.BD
PhD Student Fellow
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
2019/02 - 2021/07 Appetite and adiposity: evidence for gene-environment interplay in children
POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030334
Research Fellow
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Outputs

Publications

Book
  1. Oliveira, Andreia; Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Pereira, Rita; Moreira, Pedro Alexandre Afonso de Sousa; Fildes, Alison; HETHERINGTON, MARION. Appetite in Childhood: how it is developed and shaped. Porto, Portugal: ISPUP. 2022.
    Published
  2. Costa, Alexandra; et al. Eat Healthy : Guide for university students. Porto, Portugal: International Relations Office - University Fernando Pessoa. 2018.
    Published
Conference abstract
  1. Costa, Alexandra; Pereira, Rita; Severo, Milton; Oliveira, Andreia. "Appetitive traits profiles from 7 to 13 years of age: findings from the Generation XXI cohort". Paper presented in XLI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Española de Epidemiología (SEE) y XVIII Congresso da Associação Portuguesa de Epidemiología (APE) (Gaceta Sanitaria), Porto, 2023.
    Published
  2. Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Ribeiro, Cláudia ; HETHERINGTON, MARION; Oliveira, Andreia. "Early life factors associated with appetitive traits in infancy: findings from a Portuguese cohort (BiTwin)". Paper presented in Zoomforward 2022 - ECO / IFSO-EC Congress on Obesity (Obesity Facts), Maastricht, 2022.
    Published
  3. Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Ribeiro, Cláudia; Severo, Milton; Ramos, Elisabete; Oliveira, Andreia. "Are early life factors associated with the development of appetite in infancy? - a study in the Bitwin cohort". Paper presented in XXI Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), 2022.
  4. Costa, Alexandra; Severo, Milton; Oliveira, Andreia. "Food parenting practices and eating behaviors in childhood: a cross-lagged approach within the Generation XXI cohort". Paper presented in XX Congress of Food and Nutrition & II International Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), 2021.
  5. Costa, Alexandra; HETHERINGTON, MARION; Oliveira, Andreia. "Maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight and their association with feeding practices". Paper presented in 28th European Congress on Obesity (Obesity Facts), 2021.
  6. Costa, Alexandra; Severo, Milton; Vilela, Sofia; Fildes, Alison; Oliveira, Andreia. "Associations between appetitive behaviours and body mass index in childhood: A cross-lagged analysis in the Generation XXI birth cohort". Paper presented in European and International Congress on Obesity (Obesity Reviews), 2020.
    Published
  7. Costa, Alexandra; Hetherington, Marion; Oliveira, Andreia. "Association between maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight status and maternal feeding practices: a prospective study in the Generation XXI birth cohort". Paper presented in XIX Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), 2020.
    Published
  8. Barbosa, Catarina; Costa, Alexandra; Lopes, Carla; Oliveira, Andreia. "May parental child-feeding practices influence dietary patterns of 7 years-old children that explain body mass index latter in life?". Paper presented in XVIII Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), Lisboa, 2019.
    Published
  9. Costa, Alexandra; Oliveira, Andreia. "Food neophobia and its association with food preferences and dietary intake of adults". Paper presented in XVII Congress of Food and Nutrition & I International Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), Lisboa, 2018.
    Published
  10. Costa, Alexandra; Oliveira, Andreia. "Association of appetite-related eating behaviours at 7-years-old with total and central adiposity at 10-years-old: a prospective analysis in the Generation XXI birth cohort". Paper presented in XVII Congress of Food and Nutrition & I International Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), Lisboa, 2018.
    Published
  11. Costa, Alexandra; Maia, Mariana; Silva, Cláudia. "Foodborne and waterborne diseases with compulsory declaration: evolution and frequency (in portuguese: Doenças de Declaração Obrigatória de Possível Transmissão Hídrica e Alimentar: evolução da sua frequência o longo dos anos)". Paper presented in XVI Congress of Food and Nutrition (Acta Portuguesa Nutrição), 2017.
    Published
Conference poster
  1. Rei, Mariana; Costa, Alexandra; Sosa, Sofia; da Costa, Sofia; Torres, Duarte; Sage, Colin; Rodrigues, Sara. "Multicriteria measures to assess the sustainability of diets: a systematic review". Paper presented in Ciência 2023 - Encontro com a Ciência e Tecnologia em Portugal, 2023.
  2. Pereira, Rita; Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Oliveira, Andreia. "Sleep duration is associated with Appetitive Behaviours at 7 years old – Results from the Generation XXI Cohort". Paper presented in XX Congress of Food and Nutrition & II International Congress of Food and Nutrition, 2021.
  3. Costa, Alexandra; Severo, Milton; Vilela, Sofia; Fildes, Alison; Oliveira, Andreia. "Associations between appetitive behaviours and body mass index in childhood: A cross-lagged analysis in the Generation XXI birth cohort". Paper presented in European and International Congress on Obesity, 2020.
  4. Costa, Alexandra; Pinho-Reis, Cíntia. "Weight-loss maintenance after bariatric surgery: analysis of longitudinal studies (in portuguese: Perda e manutenção ponderal pós-cirurgia bariátrica: análise de estudos de longa duração)". Paper presented in XIX Congresso Anual da APNEP, 2017.
  5. Costa, Alexandra; Maia, Mariana; Silva, Cláudia. "Foodborne and waterborne diseases with compulsory declaration: evolution and frequency (in portuguese: Doenças de Declaração Obrigatória de Possível Transmissão Hídrica e Alimentar: evolução da sua frequência o longo dos anos)". Paper presented in XVI Congresso de Nutrição e Alimentação, 2017.
Journal article
  1. Mariana Rei; Alexandra Costa; Sofia Sosa; Sofia da Costa; Duarte Torres; Colin Sage; Sara Rodrigues. "Multicriteria Measures to Assess the Sustainability of Diets: A Systematic Review". Nutrition Reviews (2024): https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae081.
    10.1093/nutrit/nuae081
  2. Pereira, Rita; Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Vilela, Sofia; Oliveira, Andreia. "Sleep duration is associated with appetitive traits in school-age years – results from the Generation XXI birth cohort". Appetite (2024): 107384. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107384.
    10.1016/j.appet.2024.107384
  3. Alexandra Costa; Rita Pereira; Milton Severo; Marion M. Hetherington; Andreia Oliveira. "Appetitive traits from childhood to adolescence: Analysis of their stability, derivation of trajectory profiles, and associated characteristics". Appetite (2024): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107149.
    10.1016/j.appet.2023.107149
  4. Pereira, Rita; Araújo, Joana; Costa, Alexandra; Severo, Milton; Oliveira, Andreia. "The association between the duration and degree of adiposity and appetitive trait trajectory profiles from childhood into early adolescence - results from the Generation XXI cohort". International Journal of Obesity (2024):
    Submitted
  5. Barbosa, Catarina; Lopes, Carla; Costa, Alexandra; Warkentin, Sarah; Oliveira, Andreia. "Parental child-feeding practices at 4 years of age are associated with dietary patterns of 7-year-olds". Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13151.
    10.1111/jhn.13151
  6. Alexandra Costa; Andreia Oliveira. "Parental Feeding Practices and Children’s Eating Behaviours: An Overview of Their Complex Relationship". Healthcare (2023): https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030400.
    10.3390/healthcare11030400
  7. Ana Rita Martins; Alexandra Costa; Cláudia Silva; Andreia Oliveira. "Food and nutrition knowledge: study of their determinants in higher education students from health sciences". Acta Portuguesa de Nutrição 32 (2023): 18-24. https://dx.doi.org/10.21011/apn.2023.3204.
    https://dx.doi.org/10.21011/apn.2023.3204
  8. Rei M.; Costa A.; Sosa S.; Costa S.; Sage C.; Torres D.; Rodrigues S.. "Multicomponent measures to assess the sustainability of diets: a systematic review". Population Medicine (2023): https://www.authenticus.pt/P-00Z-T2J.
    10.18332/popmed/165033
  9. Alexandra Costa; Sarah Warkentin; Cláudia Ribeiro; Milton Severo; Elisabete Ramos; Marion Hetherington; Andreia Oliveira. "Early life exposures are associated with appetitive traits in infancy: findings from the BiTwin cohort". European Journal of Nutrition (2022): https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-03026-3.
    10.1007/s00394-022-03026-3
  10. Catarina Barbosa; Alexandra Costa; Marion M. Hetherington; Andreia Oliveira. "Association of early feeding practices with dietary patterns of 7-year-olds from the birth cohort Generation XXI". Appetite 171 (2022): 105909-105909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105909.
    10.1016/j.appet.2021.105909
  11. Sarah Warkentin; Alexandra Costa; Oliveira A. "Validity of the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire and Its Relationship with Parent-Reported Eating Behaviors among Adolescents in Portugal". Nutrients (2022): https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/6/1301.
    10.3390/nu14061301
  12. Costa, Alexandra; Hetherington, Marion M.; Oliveira, Andreia. "Maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight and their association with feeding practices in the Generation XXI birth cohort". British Journal of Nutrition (2021): 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114521001653.
    10.1017/s0007114521001653
  13. Costa, Alexandra; Severo, Milton; Oliveira, Andreia. "Food parenting practices and eating behaviors in childhood: a cross-lagged approach within the Generation XXI cohort". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab024.
    10.1093/ajcn/nqab024
  14. Alexandra Costa; Milton Severo; Sofia Vilela; Alison Fildes; Andreia Oliveira. "Bidirectional relationships between appetitive behaviours and body mass index in childhood: a cross-lagged analysis in the Generation XXI birth cohort". European Journal of Nutrition (2020): https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02238-9.
    10.1007/s00394-020-02238-9
  15. Alexandra Costa; Cláudia Silva; Andreia Oliveira. "Food neophobia and its association with food preferences and dietary intake of adults". Nutrition & Dietetics (2019): https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12587.
    10.1111/1747-0080.12587

Other

Other output
  1. Multicomponent measures to assess the sustainability of diets: A systematic review. ROSPERO.. 2022. Rei, Mariana; Costa, Alexandra; Sosa, Sofia; da Costa, Sofia; Sage, Colin; Torres, Duarte; Rodrigues, Sara. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=358824..
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2023 Appetitive traits profiles from 7 to 13 years of age: findings from the Generation XXI cohort XLI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Española de Epidemiología (SEE) y XVIII Congresso da Associação Portuguesa de Epidemiología (APE)
(Porto, Portugal)
2022/05 Are early life factors associated with the development of appetite in infancy? - a study in the Bitwin cohort XXI Congress of Food and Nutrition
(Portugal)
2021/09 Food parenting practices and eating behaviors in childhood: a cross-lagged approach within the Generation XXI cohort XX Congress of Food and Nutrition & II International Congress of Food and Nutrition
Associação Portuguesa de Nutrição
2021/05/11 Maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight and their association with feeding practices 28th European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2021)
European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO)
2020 Association between maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight status and maternal feeding practices: a prospective study in the Generation XXI birth cohort XIX Congresso de Nutrição e Alimentação
Associação Portuguesa de Nutrição
2019 May parental child-feeding practices influence dietary patterns of 7 years-old children that explain body mass index latter in life? XVIII Congress of Food and Nutrition
(Porto, Portugal)
2018 Association of appetite-related eating behaviours at 7-years-old with total and central adiposity at 10-years-old: a prospective analysis in the Generation XXI birth cohort XVII Congress of Food and Nutrition & I International Congress of Food and Nutrition
(Lisboa, Portugal)

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role 		Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2023 - 2023/10 Eating disorders in adolescence: relation with food choices and future implications.
Co-supervisor
Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2023/04 - 2033/07 Course Introduction to Global Health
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
2022/05/04 - 2022/05/07 Congress attendance
Congress
 Zoom Forward 22
European Association for the Study of Obesity, United Kingdom
2021/05 - 2021/05 Congress attendance
Congress
 ECO 2021 - 28th European congress on obesity
European Association for the Study of Obesity, United Kingdom
2021/02/12 - 2021/03/25 Online course by Coursera Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis in Public Health
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
2021/03 - 2021/03 Online courses in public speaking by OpenClassrooms ''Speak in Public'' and ''Improve Your Presentation Skills''
2020/09/01 - 2020/09/04 Congress attendance ECOICO 2020 - European and international congress on obesity
European Association for the Study of Obesity, United Kingdom
2017/09/16 - 2017/10/14 Online course Food Allergies in Food Service and Schools
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Portugal

Interview (newspaper / magazine)

Activity description Newspaper / Forum
2022 Dissemination of scientific results to the lay press (Title: As mães acham que os filhos não têm peso a mais. Onde está o problema?) Público

Interview (tv / radio show)

Program Topic
2023/02 - 2023/02 90 Segundos de Ciência - Antena 1 Appetitive traits in infancy

Journal scientific committee

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2024 - Current Global Pediatric Health (2333-794X) SAGE
2024 - Current BMJ Open (2044-6055) BMJ
2022 - Current Appetite (0195-6663) Elsevier
2021 - Current Pediatric Obesity (2047-6310) Wiley
2020/04 - Current International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science (1878-450X) Elsevier
Distinctions

Award

2021 Best Poster - 3rd place - XX Congress of Food and Nutrition & II International Congress of Food and Nutrition
Associação Portuguesa de Nutrição, Portugal
2019 Best oral communication - 1st place - XVIII Congress of Food and Nutrition
Associação Portuguesa de Nutrição, Portugal