Changes in the consumption of ultra-processed foods over a decade among Brazilian students

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To analyze changes in ultra-processed food consumption over a decade among students in southern Brazil. We hypothesized that there would be changes in the prevalence of sweets, soft drinks, and snacks consumption over a decade. METHODS: This consisted of a secondary analysis of the Project “Lifestyle and Risk Behavior of Students in Santa Catarina, Brazil” (COMPAC). Two school-based surveys were conducted in 2001 (n = 5,028) and 2011 (n = 6,529). A validated questionnaire was used to collect information on the frequency of consumption (never: non-consumers; weekly consumers: 1-6 days; daily consumers: 7 days) of soft drinks, sweets, and snacks. Logistic regression was applied to verify the association between year (2001 vs. 2011) and ultra-processed food consumption, according to sex, age, and area of ​​residence. The sample was representative of students (15-19 years old) enrolled in public schools in Santa Catarina, Brazil. RESULTS: Regarding the results, there was a reduction in the prevalence of daily consumers of soft drinks (from 19.7 to 10.0%), sweets (from 34.3% to 8.0%) and snacks (from 17.9% to 3.9%). On the other hand, there was an increase in the prevalence of weekly consumers of these ultra-processed foods. Furthermore, the changes varied when analyzed by sex, age and area of ​​residence. CONCLUSION: It was possible to conclude that, despite a decrease in the prevalence of daily consumers of soft drinks, sweets and snacks, more actions are needed since an increase in the prevalence of weekly consumers of these ultra-processed foods was observed.