Consumo alimentar entre adolescentes brasileiros associado à comercialização de ultraprocessados nas escolas e nas proximidades: PeNSE 2019

Abstract

Introduction: The availability of ultra-processed foods on school canteens influences students’ eating habits and is related to harmful consequences for health. Objective: To assess the sale of ultra-processed food items in schools and its association with food consumption among Brazilian adolescents. Methods: We used data collected of 157.552 adolescents from the 2019 National School Health Survey (PeNSE 2019). We calculated the prevalence of adolescents’ and schools’ characteristics and performed logistic regression to estimate associations between the sale of ultra-processed foods (industrialized cookies, sweets, sandwiches, bagged salty snacks, sodas and other soft drinks) in school cafeterias and the consumption of these foods by adolescents. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of cafeterias selling ultra-processed foods was higher in private schools [94.2% (95% CI: 93.0% – 95.2%)] than public schools [24.4% (95% CI: 22.6% – 26.4%)]. Having a cafeteria inside school selling soft drinks is associated with increased consumption of these beverages in both public and private schools [OR: 1.25 (95% CI: 1.06-1.46) and OR: 1.29 (95% CI: 1.18-1.42), respectively]. In private schools, the sale of salty ultra-processed foods (bagged salty snacks and salty crackers) contributed to a higher consumption of these foods among students [OR: 1.16 (95% IC: 1.08-1.25)]. The presence of ultra-processed foods’ sales near schools was not associated with the consumption of these foods by adolescents. Conclusion: The sale of ultra- processed foods in public and private schools may contribute to the increased consumption of soft drinks and salty ultra-processed foods among Brazilian adolescents. In addition to more effective interventions to control the types of commercialised foods in school cafeterias, nutritional education is the key intervention for promoting healthy decisions and conscious food consumption.