Relação entre alimentação saudável e comensalidade em adolescentes brasileiros: uma análise conforme recomendações do Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the relationship between healthy eating consumption, measured using the healthy eating marker (HEM), and commensality-related practices recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population (GAPB), also considering family and personal aspects. This is a repeated crosssectional, population-based study that used data from the National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) from the 2012, 2015, and 2019 editions, involving 9th-grade elementary school students. The dependent variable was HEM, defined as the sum of bean, vegetable/greens, and fruit consumption over the past seven days. To describe the sample, absolute and relative frequencies, as well as the percentage variation, were calculated for sociodemographic characteristics, family and personal aspects, and commensality-related practices, including “having breakfast,” “eating while watching TV/computer/cell phone,” and “having lunch or dinner with a mother, father, or guardian.” Three negative binomial regression models with a log link function were conducted to assess the associations between HEM and commensality-related practices, as well as family and personal aspects. In all models, the adjustment variables were the adolescent's geographic region of residence, sex, age (analyzed as a continuous variable), and the administrative dependence of the school. The analysis results were presented using rate ratios (RR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for each model. The statistical analyses were performed using Stata/MP 16.0 software (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA), applying the SVY/survey commands due to the complexity of the PeNSE sampling design. A total of 188,374 adolescents were analyzed. A 5.7% decline in the frequent practice of “having breakfast” and a 7.4% increase in the practice of “having lunch or dinner with a mother, father, or guardian” were observed when comparing their respective prevalences in 2012 and 2019. In all models, an increase in the MAS rate ratio was observed among adolescents who frequently practiced “having breakfast” and “eating with a mother, father, or guardian,” as well as among those who did not engage in “eating while watching TV/cell phone/computer.” In conclusion, commensality practices recommended by the GAPB are predictors of healthy eating among adolescents, reinforcing the importance of promoting them in family and social contexts.