Padrão de refeições realizadas por adolescentes que frequentam escolas técnicas de São Paulo

Assessing adolescent diet and physical activity behaviour, knowledge and awareness in low- and middle-income countries: a systematised review of quantitative epidemiological tools

PURPOSE

Quantitative epidemiological tools are routinely used to assess adolescent diet and physical activity (PA) constructs (behaviour, knowledge, and awareness) as risk factors for non-communicable diseases. This study sought to synthesize evidence on the quantitative epidemiological tools that have been used to assess adolescent diet and PA constructs in low to middle-income countries (LMIC).

METHODS

A systematised review was conducted using 3 databases (EbscoHost, Scopus and Web of Science).

RESULTS

We identified 292 LMIC studies assessing adolescent diet and PA. Identified studies predominantly explored behavioural (90%) constructs with a paucity of studies investigating knowledge and awareness. The majority of studies used subjective (94%) and self-administered (78%) tools. Only 39% of LMIC studies used tools validated for their contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the need for more contextual tools for assessing adolescent diet and PA in LMICs. Diet and PA measurement tools used in future research will need to incorporate measures of knowledge and awareness for a more comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of diet and PA in adolescents. Furthermore, there is a need for more evidence on the reliability and validity of these tools for use, in both cross sectional and longitudinal studies, in LMIC contexts.

[Association of regular consumption of breakfast and health-related behavior among adolescents]

The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of regular breakfast consumption (five or more times a week) among adolescents, and to investigate the association with demographic variables, school and job shift, health-related behaviors, eating habits and food consumption. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 state schools in Curitiba, State of Paraná, with the participation of 1,232 adolescents. The prevalence of regular breakfast consumption was 58,6% (95% CI 53,9, 63.2). After adjusted analysis, higher regular breakfast consumption was observed among adolescents who: attended the evening and intermediate/full shifts; performed supervised physical activity; reported sleeping more than eight hours/night; reported having lunch and dinner with the family every day; and took 4 or more meals per day. The weekly frequency of breakfast was associated with higher consumption of milk and dairy products and the lower consumption of instant noodles and soft drinks. It is noteworthy that the habit of eating breakfast was associated with healthy eating practices and habits, reinforcing its values as a marker of other health-related behaviors. Partaking of breakfast should be encouraged among adolescents.

Adolescents' unhealthy eating habits are associated with meal skipping

OBJECTIVE

Meal consumption and diet quality are important for healthy development during adolescence. The aim of this study was to determine the association between meal habits and diet quality in Brazilian adolescents.

METHODS

A school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008 with a probabilistic sample of adolescents ages 14 to 19 y (N = 1139) from high schools in central-western Brazil. Consumption of breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner was assessed to evaluate adolescents' meal profile. The Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R) was calculated to evaluate diet quality. The association between meal profile and BHEI-R (global estimates and components) was assessed using multivariate linear regression models.

RESULTS

Diet was characterized by unhealthy eating: a low consumption of fruits, vegetables, and milk/dairy, and a high consumption of fats and sodium. An unsatisfactory meal profile was observed in 14% of adolescents, whereas daily consumption of breakfast, lunch, and dinner was reported by 47%, 78%, and 52% of adolescents, respectively. Meal profile was positively associated with diet quality. Daily consumption of breakfast was associated with higher BHEI-R scores, lower sodium intake, and greater consumption of fruits and milk/dairy. Daily consumption of lunch was associated with greater consumption of vegetables and "meats, eggs, and legumes," whereas consumption of dinner was associated with an increased consumption of "whole fruits."

CONCLUSION

This study showed a parallelism between daily consumption of meals with healthier eating and greater adherence to traditional Brazilian food habits. Skipping meals was associated with a low-quality diet, especially concerning to the low consumption of fruits and vegetables and a high intake of sodium and calories from solid fats, added sugars, and alcoholic beverages. Therefore, the adoption of regular meal habits may help adolescents improve their diet quality.

Dietary intake and meal frequency of Brazilian girls attending a school-based randomized controlled trial

Purpose

– This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a school-based obesity prevention program targeting Brazilian adolescent girls on dietary intake and meal frequency.

Design/methodology/approach

– It was a six-month school-based group randomized controlled trial with female adolescents. The intervention was based on the Social Cognitive Theory and focused on ten nutrition and physical activity key messages. Diet intake was measured using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and the food items were aggregate into the eight food groups of the Brazilian Food Guide Pyramid. The meals frequency assessed were breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-in-between-meals, the frequency ranged from never to everyday. Linear mixed models were used to examine the dietary effects and chi-squared test to identify proportional differences among groups in meal frequency. All analyses followed intention-to-treat principles and alpha levels of p ≤ 0.05 were set.

Findings

– After six months from baseline, changes in the fruits (mean [SE] 12.48 kcal [7.86], p = 0.005), vegetables (8.80 kcal [7.11], p = 0.006) and sugar (−55.98 kcal [50.70], p = 0.036) groups were demonstrated. Proportional difference was shown for snack-in-between-meals (p = 0.001), and the frequency most cited was for “five to six days” per week.

Originality/value

– The “Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls-Brazil” showed promise in the adolescents’ dietary intake and could be used as framework for future interventions. Also, the methods used for dietary intake can be enhanced and implemented for future studies.

Associação entre estado nutricional da mãe e a frequência, local e companhia durante as refeições com o sobrepeso/obesidade de adolescentes da cidade de Florianópolis, Brasil

Objetivos:Objetivos: estimar a prevalência de sobrepeso/obesidade e analisar a associação entre estado nutricional da mãe, fatores sociodemográ-ficos, frequência, local e companhia nas refeições e sobrepeso/obesidade em escolares de 11 a 14 anos de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.Métodos:estudo transversal com 962 adolescentes de escolas públicas e privadas. O sobrepeso/obesidade foi definido de acordo com a Organização Mundial da Saúde. As variáveis independentes foram: rede de ensino, sexo do escolar, escolaridade e estado nutricional da mãe, renda familiar mensal, frequência, local e companhia nas refeições. Foram realizadas análises brutas e ajustadas por meio da regressão de Poisson estimando-se razões de prevalência e intervalos de confiança de 95%.Resultados:a prevalência de sobrepeso/obesi-dade foi de 29,8% (IC95%: 25,7-33,9), sendo 11,6% de obesidade e 18,3% de sobrepeso. Entre alunos da rede pública, o sobrepeso/obesidade esteve associado ao sobrepeso/obesidade da mãe, maior número de realização de café da manhã, almoçar na escola ou em outro local e café da manhã na companhia de outras pessoas, enquanto que entre estudantes da rede privada, o evento esteve associado ao sobrepeso/obesidade da mãe.Conclusões:a elevada prevalência de sobrepeso/obesidade, tanto na rede pública quanto na privada, evidencia a necessidade de mais atenção para os fatores associados, tais como sobrepeso/obesidade da mãe, frequência, local e companhia nas refeições.

Percepção de estudantes de escolas públicas sobre o ambiente e a alimentação disponível na escola: uma abordagem emancipatória1

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a percepção dos escolares da rede pública sobre o ambiente escolar e a alimentação disponível na escola. Na perspectiva da abordagem qualitativa e segundo pressupostos da pesquisa ação, foram realizadas Oficinas em Dinâmica de Grupos (ODG) com estudantes das escolas públicas de Ceilândia-DF. Ao final de cada ODG, as crianças redigiram cartas aos pais e educadores com propostas de mudança e sugestões para o delineamento de um ambiente facilitador de escolhas mais saudáveis, as quais foram submetidas à análise de conteúdo. Os resultados evidenciam a clareza dos escolares para reconhecer uma alimentação adequada e saudável, bem como para discernir as razões que determinam e sustentam as escolhas não salutares. A perspicácia das crianças surpreende a incoerência dos tomadores de decisão e educadores que recomendam consumo saudável, mas não facilitam o acesso desses alimentos nas escolas. Suas sugestões para construir ambiente favorável à saúde incluem medidas ponderadas, a serem implantadas paulatinamente a partir de processo reflexivo. Segundo a percepção das crianças, não existe na escola o suporte necessário para as escolhas salutares. Isso aponta para a necessidade de ressignificar as práticas de educadores e de profissionais de saúde no sentido de ampliar a participação efetiva das crianças na elaboração de propostas a serem desenvolvidas nas escolas. Salienta a importância de escutá-las na construção de ambiente saudável na escola como protagonistas e ativadoras dos processos de mudança neste âmbito em vista da clareza e discernimento que demonstram ao identificar as dificuldades inerentes a escolhas saudáveis.

Factors associated with breakfasting in users of a public health service

OBJECTIVE: This study identified the sociodemographic, lifestyle, dietary and anthropometric factors of users of a public health promotion service who have breakfast regularly. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included all users aged 20 years or more who joined the service between March 2007 and December 2010. Their socioeconomic and anthropometric data, dietary habits and health status were investigated. Statistical treatment included the Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Fisher's exact and Student's t tests and Poisson regression analysis (p<0.05). RESULTS: Most of the participants (87.1%, n=528) breakfasted often, especially those aged 48.5 years or more (p=0.041). Poisson regression analysis showed association between breakfasting often and not smoking (PR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.10-1.91), having a greater number of daily meals (PR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.06-1.25), appropriate intake of deep-fried foods (PR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.01-1.25), lower fat intake (PR=0.78, 95%CI: 0.68-0.89) and smaller prevalence of excess weight (PR=0.85, 95%CI: 0.78-0.92). CONCLUSION: The positive relationship found between breakfasting often and not smoking, appropriate food and nutrient intakes and a healthier body weight shows the need of emphasizing this meal in health services as a simple and doable health promotion strategy that helps to prevent and control chronic diseases.