[Quality of the diet of 18-year-old adolescents belonging to the birth cohort of 1993 in Pelotas in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil]

Association between diet quality index, food and nutrient intake and metabolic parameters in adolescents from Recife, northeastern Brazil

Nutritional studies shifted the focus of attention to the analysis of food quality, addressing general diet considering the foods, food groups and nutrients included. This study evaluates the association between diet quality index, food and nutrient intake and metabolic parameters of adolescents from Recife, northeastern Brazil. It is a cross-sectional study involving adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. Food intake was assessed using the FFQ to estimate the adapted Diet Quality Index for Adolescents for Brazilians (DQIA-BR-A). The analysis included metabolic parameters (glucose, lipid profile, apo A1 and B, α-1-acid glycoprotein, retinol, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathormone). Multiple linear regression analysis between the DQIA-BR-A and daily nutrient intake showed a positive correlation (R²_adjusted = 0·29) for linoleic fatty acid, Ca and folate and a negative correlation for oleic fatty acid, carbohydrates and vitamins B₂ and C, in addition to a low correlation (R²_adjusted < 0·07) with all metabolic parameters. However, the DQIA-BR-A correlated significantly (R²_adjusted = 0·62; P < 0·001) with food intake. In this way, the DQIA-BR-A can be considered as an accurate and useful instrument for assessing the overall quality of adolescent diets. The diet of the adolescents was considered to be of moderate quality. Changes are required to ensure a balanced diet, considering the high-sugar intake and consumption of sweets as well as the low consumption of vegetables, milk and dairy products, oils, fats and seeds. Such changes should prioritise the consumption of foods rich in essential fatty acids and poor in saturated fat.

Qualidade da dieta de adolescentes da rede pública de ensino de um município do sul do Brasil: estudo transversal, 2019

Resumo Objetivo Identificar os fatores associados à qualidade da dieta de estudantes do 9º ano da rede municipal de ensino de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Métodos Estudo transversal, realizado em 2019. As informações alimentares foram coletadas por formulário de frequência alimentar, e a qualidade da dieta foi avaliada mediante índice desenvolvido pelos autores. A dieta foi classificada como de baixa, intermediária ou alta qualidade. A associação foi avaliada por regressão logística multinomial. Resultados Os 808 adolescentes avaliados obtiveram média de 16,0 pontos (desvio-padrão=4,1) no índice desenvolvido. A alta qualidade da dieta mostrou-se associada a experimentação de tabaco [razão de chances, ou odds ratio (OR) 2,92; intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC95%) 1,74;4,92] e prática de atividade física no lazer (OR=1,65; IC95% 1,15;2,38). Conclusão Destaca-se a importância do incentivo à prática de atividade física, monitoramento de comportamentos de riscos nos adolescentes e promoção do consumo de alimentos considerados saudáveis.

Physical activity and adolescent sexual maturity: a systematic review

The objective was to ve rify the association between sexual maturation and physical activity during adolescence. A systematic review of articles published between 2008 and 2018 was conducted using the following databases: PubMed/Medline, SciELO, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, and BVS Adolec Brasil. The following descriptors and keywords were used in English and Portuguese: adolescent, sexual maturation, survey, questionnaire, and physical activity. The literature search retrieved 806 articles. Twelve articles were included after applying the selection criteria. Level of physical activity was highest in the initial stage of sexual maturation. Levels of physical activity appear to decrease with advancing sexual maturation status. There is no consensus about the association between sexual maturation and physical activity levels among adolescents within the literature reviewed by this study. Further research is needed to investigate whether this relationship exists and professionals involved in healthcare for adolescents should take effective steps to combat physical inactivity.

Do inflammation and adiposity mediate the association of diet quality with depression and anxiety in young adults?

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Diet quality has been inversely associated with depression, but less is known about its association with anxiety and about the mechanisms involved in the association between diet and mental health. This study aimed to assess the associations of diet quality with major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in young adults, and to explore whether inflammation, indexed by interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and body mass index (BMI) mediate this association.

METHODS

We used data of 3331 participants from the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil). Data on dietary intake and inflammatory markers were assessed at 18 years, and information on mental disorders was obtained at both 18 and 22 years. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake, and diet quality was estimated using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index - Revised (BHEI-R). The occurrence of MDD and GAD was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), conducted by psychologists. The associations of diet quality, BMI and inflammatory markers with mental disorders were explored using logistic regression. The mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

A one standard deviation increase in the diet quality score at age 18 years was associated with both lower levels of CRP (-0.06 mg/L; 95% CI: -0.10; -0.008) at 18 years and 23% lower odds of MDD at 22 years (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61; 0.97). No association was found between diet quality score and both BMI and GAD. Obesity was associated with higher odds of MDD, but CRP and IL-6 were not associated with MDD or GAD. Our results provide no evidence that inflammatory markers and BMI mediate the association between diet quality and MDD in young adults.

CONCLUSIONS

A better diet quality is associated with lower occurrence of MDD among young adults, but we did not find evidence that inflammatory markers and BMI mediate this association.

Longitudinal Association Between Diet Quality and Asthma Symptoms in Early Adult Life in a Brazilian Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND

The role of diet in the etiology of asthma is still inconclusive. This paper evaluated the longitudinal association between diet quality and chest wheezing in young adults.

METHODS

This is a longitudinal study with follow-up information from 18- and 22-year-olds (18y and 22y) of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. Chest wheezing occurrence and number of events in the last year were reported at 22y. Diet quality was measured with a revised version of the Healthy Eating Index (IQD-R) for the Brazilian population at 18y and 22y by food frequency questionnaire referring to the last 12 months. The diet quality continuity was classified as good (always 1st IQD-R tertile), intermediate (always 2nd tertile/change tertile) and poor (always 3rd tertile).

RESULTS

A total of 2986 young individuals were evaluated; 51.4% were female. Prevalence of wheezing at 22y was 10.1% (95% CI: 9.1-11.2), and of these patients, 10% reported at least one event in the past year. Better IQD-R score, both at 18y and at 22y, the lower the odds of wheezing in the past year. Regarding the diet quality continuity from 18y to 22y, staying on a poor diet increased by more than three-fold the odds of chest wheezing (OR=3.28; 95% CI: 1.84-5.84) and of wheezing events (OR=3.32; 95% CI: 1.89-5.85) compared to staying on a good diet, after adjustment for confounding variables.

CONCLUSION

The overall quality of the diet seems to be more important than the individual components in the effect on asthma symptoms. Low-quality diet persistence increased the odds of chest wheezing and the number of events.

Adiposity, depression and anxiety: interrelationship and possible mediators

OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between adiposity, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, and to assess the role of inflammation, diet quality and physical activity in this association.

METHODS

We used data from 2,977 individuals from the 1993 Pelotas Cohort (Brazil) who attended the 18- and 22-year follow-ups. We assessed general obesity using body mass index, fat mass index, and abdominal obesity using waist circumference. Major Depressive Disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were assessed using the mini-international neuropsychiatric interview. C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were used as a measure of inflammation; diet quality was estimated using the revised diet quality index, and physical activity was assessed by the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ, min/day). The association between adiposity and major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder was assessed using logistic regression, and the natural indirect effect via the mediators was estimated using G-computation.

RESULTS

General obesity assessed by body mass index (OR: 2.3; 95% CI:1.13; 4.85), fat mass index (OR: 2.6; 95%CI: 1.37; 4.83), and abdominal obesity (OR: 2.5; 95%CI: 1.18; 5.39) were associated with higher odds of major depressive disorder, whereas major depressive disorder was only associated with obesity assessed by body mass index (OR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.09; 3.46). Obesity and generalized anxiety disorder were not associated. C-reactive protein, diet quality and physical activity did not mediate the effect of obesity on major depressive disorder, and C-reactive protein mediated about 25% of the effect of major depressive disorder on adiposity.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression, but not generalized anxiety disorder, is associated with adiposity in both directions, with a stronger evidence for the direction obesity-depression. Inflammation explains part of the effect of major depressive disorder on obesity but not the other way around. Further research should explore other mechanisms that could be involved in the association between obesity and depression.

Conhecimento de adolescentes acerca dos benefícios do exercício físico para a saúde mental

Resumo A adolescência é uma fase de várias transformações estruturais e funcionais. O exercício físico é capaz de promover plasticidade adaptativa sobre o sistema nervoso, reduzindo os riscos de futuras patologias psiquiátricas. Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar o conhecimento dos adolescentes acerca dos benefícios do exercício físico sobre a saúde mental. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado em uma escola estadual de um município do Centro-Oeste de Minas Gerais. Para coleta de dados, além de um questionário próprio desenvolvido para medir o conhecimento acerca dos benefícios do Exercício Físico sobre a Saúde Mental, foram utilizados o International Physical Activity Questionnaire, e o questionário socioeconômico da Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa. Os dados foram analisados por meio de ferramentas de estatística descritiva e pelos testes de Kruskal-Wallis e de qui-quadrado, a um nível de significância de 5%. Verificou-se que indivíduos mais ativos possuíam maior conhecimento acerca dos benefícios do exercício físico para a saúde mental em relação aos indivíduos sedentários. Assim, o conhecimento pode ser um fator protetor contra o sedentarismo e a inatividade física, melhorando significativamente o aspecto relacionado à qualidade de vida do adolescente.