Dietary and Nutritional Profiles among Brazilian Adolescents

Abstract

(1) Background: The present study analyzed the prevalence of dietary and nutritional profiles among Brazilian adolescents and their associations with social determinants of health. (2) Methods: A population-based survey was administered to 16,409 adolescents assessed by the 2015 National School Health Survey. A multivariate model of dietary and nutritional profiles was estimated from correspondence analysis. (3) Results: The dietary and nutritional profiles more prevalent among Brazilian adolescents were "lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and eutrophic" (42.6%), "lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and overweight" (6.8%), and "higher nutritional risk dietary pattern and overweight" (6.0%). Healthier profiles were associated with less urbanized territories, health-promoting behaviors, and families with worse material circumstances. The less healthy profiles were associated with more urbanized environments, health risk behaviors, and families with better material circumstances. (4) Brazilian adolescents have different dietary and nutritional profiles that are characterized by sociopolitical and economic contexts, family material and school circumstances, and the behavioral and psychosocial health factors of the individuals. All of this points to the social determination of these health problems among adolescents in Brazil.

Keywords: adolescent; diet; obesity; social determinants of health; thinness.

Figure 1

Average weekly food intake frequency according to the Brazilian school adolescents’ dietary pattern and F. statistic, according to cluster analysis. National School Health Survey (PeNSE), 2015. Note: Cluster I (lower nutritional risk dietary pattern) = 10,257 individuals (61.6%; 95%CI: 60.6–62.6) and Cluster II (higher nutritional risk dietary pattern) = 6153 individuals (38.4%; 95%CI: 37.4–39.4). p value < 0.001 for the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of the cluster analysis.

Figure 2

Correspondence analysis of Brazilian adolescents’ dietary and nutritional profiles and socio-economic and behavioral variables. National School Health Survey, 2015. Note: HNRDP_Thinneth: Higher nutritional risk dietary pattern and thinness; LNRDP_Thinneth: Lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and thinness; HNRDP_Eutrophy: Higher nutritional risk dietary pattern and eutrophy; LNRDP_Eutrophy: Lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and eutrophy; HNRDP_Overweight: Higher nutritional risk dietary pattern and overweight; LNRDP_Overweight: Lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and overweight; HNRDP_Obesity: Higher nutritional risk dietary pattern and obesity; LNRDP_Obesity: Lower nutritional risk dietary pattern and obesity; North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Central-West: Geographic macro-region; Urban, Rural: School situation; Public, Private: School administrative dependence; Male, Female: Gender; 10–14 years, 15–19 years: Age; uneducated, literate, primary school, high school, college, or did not know: Maternal education level; ≥5 residents, <5 residents: Number of residents in the household; Breakfast_Irregular: Breakfast consumption < 5 days/week; Breakfast_Regular: Breakfast consumption ≥ 5 days/week; Lunch_Irregular: Lunch or dinner consumption with parents or caregivers < 5 days/week; Lunch_Regular: Lunch or dinner consumption with parents or caregivers ≥ 5 days/week; No_food_TV: No food consumption while watching TV or studying, Yes_food_TV: Food consumption while watching TV or studying having; No_fastfood: Had not been to fast-food restaurants in the week before the survey; Yes_fastfood: Had been to fast-food restaurants in the week before the survey; <300 min_pap: <300 min/week practicing physical activity; ≥300 min_pap: ≥300 min/week practicing physical activity; Yes_Laxatives: Had used laxative actions for weight loss; No_Laxatives: Had not used laxative actions for weight loss; Yes_wg_formulas: Had used formulas for gain weight or muscle mass; No_wg_formulas: Had not used formulas for gain weight or muscle mass; Yes_wl_formulas: Had used formulas to lose or control weight; No_wl_formulas: Had not used formulas to lose or control weight.