Adherence to the Dietary Guideline for the Brazilian Population and its sociodemographic aspects: Brazuca Natal Study.

Abstract

To analyze the adherence of adults and older adults in the Brazuca Natal study to the recommendations of the Dietary Guideline for the Brazilian Population and to determine its relation with sociodemographic factors.

This cross-sectional study was carried out with 411 adults and older individuals residing in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Participants were selected from a probabilistic sample by clusters in two stages (census tracts and households). Data were collected by an electronic questionnaire on the Epicollect 5 digital platform. The questionnaire contained sociodemographic data and a multidimensional scale to measure adherence to the dietary practices recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian population. The scale consists of 24 questions following a Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; and strongly agree). Total scores ranged from 0 to 72, with classifications of low (total score < 32), medium (total score from 32 to 41), and high adherence (total score > 41) to the Dietary Guideline. To verify the association between adherence to the Guide and sociodemographic variables, multiple analysis by unconditional logistic regression were performed.

The mean score equaled 40.5 (7.9), and high adherence to the Guide occurred in 40.8% (95%CI 30.8-51.5) of the population. Women (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.03-1.55) and older individuals (PR = 1.46; 95%CI 1.19-1.79) showed a significant association. Individuals who reported a monthly per capita income below one minimum wage were less likely to show high adherence to the Guide, a factor that was intensified for those who earned ≤ 1/4 of the minimum wage (PR = 0.47; 95%CI 0.32-0.68).

The findings of this study indicate that women and older age predict greater adherence to the Dietary Guideline. Conversely, having a low per capita income predicts alower adherence in the evaluated population. Establishing policies to mitigate social inequalities and initiatives to enhance access to dietary practices in line with the Dietary Guideline among adult and older adult populations is imperative.