Association Between Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Sociodemographic Characteristics in Brazilian Adolescents

Background: The consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with several negative health outcomes. Studies on adolescents have shown that this population has a high consumption of these foods, especially in high-income countries. However, there are no studies on the types of ultra-processed foods consumed. The present study evaluated secondary data from a representative sample of the National School Health Survey, the consumption of ultra-processed foods by 159,245 Brazilian adolescents.

Methods: Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire using a mobile device. A Poisson regression model was used to assess the prevalence of ultra-processed food consumption and its correlation with sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: The consumption of ultra-processed foods was significant among Brazilian adolescents, and almost half of the participants reported consumption the day before. We observed that sociodemographic characteristics such as school type, race/skin color, region, municipality type, age, living with mother, living with father, and maternal education level were associated with greater or lesser consumption of ultra-processed foods. Adolescents who study in private schools, are female, white, and live in non-capital cities consume more ultra-processed foods.

Conclusions: Access to in natura and minimally processed foods must be on the agenda of governments and encouraged by food and nutrition education to guarantee the right to adequate and healthy food.