Factors Associated with the Consumption of Food Markers of Unhealthy Diet Among School Children in Situations of High Health Vulnerability

Food consumption of children enrolled in five municipal schools according to socio-demographics characteristics

ABSTRACT Objective To describe children food consumption in the five municipal schools in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, and their main characteristics. Methods Cross-sectional study of children enrolled in five municipal schools. The mothers were interviewed at the school. The questionnaire about habitual food consumption was based on the guidelines of the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System. The data were entered in EpiData 3.1 and reviewed in Stata 14.0. The consumption frequency was reported according to each exposure category. Statistical tests based on Chi-Square test with 5% significance level and adjusted analyses through Poisson regression were used. Results A total of 548 children were included. Females represented 51.1% of the total sample; the average age was 48.3 months. Children up to two years of age were those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables while sweets were mostly consumed by older children, aged between three and four years. Unhealthy foods had a high frequency of consumption, with sweet being the most consumed (58.8%), followed by packet snacks (53.3%). In the adjusted analysis, eating meals in front of the screens remained associated with lower consumption of vegetables. Conclusion Eating meals in front of the screens reduces children’s vegetables consumption. At the same time, the child’s age and maternal education seem to have some influence on the consumption of unhealthy foods, indicating the need for nutritional education interventions.