Consumo alimentar e estado nutricional de estudantes da educação de jovens e adultos (EJA) de uma escola pública na cidade de Maceió - AL

Abstract

Overweight and its consequences are increasing in society, due to the high consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, as well as physical inactivity, bringing several implications, the most frequent are non-communicable chronic diseases. In this context, the present study was developed with the objective of evaluating the usual food consumption and nutritional status of high school students of Youth and Adult Education (EJA), of a public school located in the city of Maceió, Alagoas. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, with a sample of 40 students people aged between 18 and 29 years. An online questionnaire was applied to collect data on weight (kg), height (m), physical activity and food consumption. The classification of nutritional status was made from the body mass index (BMI), and eating habits, through the qualitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), according to the degree of food processing (in natura, minimally processed, processed and ultraprocessed products). For data analysis and tabulation, the Excel program was used, and the results were described as absolute and relative frequency. The results show that more than half of the students are overweight (60%) and only 30% are eutrophic; regarding the practice of physical activity, 75% are physically inactive. With regard to food consumption, food inadequacy was verified, with low consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods, in addition, high consumption of ultra-processed foods. Regarding fresh and minimally processed foods, the most consumed were beans and at least one type of vegetables; in relation to ultra-processed foods, the most consumed were margarine, sausages, sweets and savory snacks. The findings of this research show inadequacies in the nutritional status, physical activity practices and food consumption of EJA students, and point to the need of strategies to promote healthy lifestyle habits that encourage adequate food consumption and the practice of physical activity in these young students. In addition, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge of the nutritional context of EJA students, as the literature with data of this group is scarce.