Jornal de pediatriaNov 10, 2024

Factors linked to the eating habits of Brazilian teenagers: results from a national school health survey

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Abstract

A sample of 125,123 Brazilian adolescents revealed two main dietary patterns.

One dietary pattern is associated with regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, and beans.
This pattern is more likely among adolescents living in the Central-West and Southeast regions, with higher maternal education and healthier lifestyle choices.
A second dietary pattern is linked to non-regular consumption of sweet treats, soft drinks, and fast food.
Male adolescents aged 16 to 17 who attend public schools and abstain from alcohol show the lowest likelihood of not regularly consuming sweet treats and fast food.
Both dietary patterns are connected to socioeconomic factors and healthy lifestyle habits.

Simplified

OBJECTIVES: To identify the dietary patterns of Brazilian adolescents and to verify their associated factors.

METHODS: Cross-sectional study with data from the 2019 National Survey of School Health. Students aged 13 to 17 participated in the survey, totaling a sample of 125,123 adolescents. The variables were divided into two groups: healthy and unhealthy diet. Principal component analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns. To evaluate the association, logistic regression was used, estimated by the Odds Ratio, with the respective 95 % confidence intervals.

RESULTS: Two main components were identified: first related to regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, and beans; the second related to non-regular consumption of sweet treats, soft drinks, and fast food. The highest likelihood of regularly consuming the first was observed among adolescents residing in the Central-West and Southeast regions, with higher maternal education, who abstained from alcohol, engaged in physical activity, were not sedentary, ate breakfast, had lunch or dinner with their parents, refrained from eating while engaging in other activities, and participated in school meal programs. The lowest likelihood of not regularly consuming the second was found among male adolescents aged 16 to 17, attending public schools, who abstained from alcohol, and were not sedentary.

CONCLUSIONS: This study identified two dietary patterns, both linked to socioeconomic factors and healthy lifestyle habits. Recognizing these patterns among adolescents enables health surveillance efforts aimed at reducing diseases and health problems.

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Factors linked to the eating habits of Brazilian teenagers: results from a national school health survey

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