Healthy eating markers among adolescents from the municipal school system in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2019: a cross-sectional study.

Main results: Around 3% of the students regularly consumed the five healthy eating markers, with beans being the most frequently consumed; strong association was found between healthy eating markers and behavioral variables. Implications for services: The results obtained can contribute for interventions, programs and actions, particularly in the school environment, aimed at promoting an adequate and healthy diet.

Perspectives: Better targeting of interventions, programs and actions developed in the school environment, seeking to increase consumption of fresh and minimally processed food, along with the adoption of healthy behaviors.

Objective: to analyze the consumption of healthy eating markers among adolescent students in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2019.

Methods: this was a cross-sectional study carried out in schools taking part in the Health at School Program. Consumption of the five markers (beans, milk, fruit, cooked vegetables and raw salads) within five days prior to the study, obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, was defined as regular. Association between demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral variables and the outcomes was analyzed using Poisson regression.

Results: among the 797 respondents, 2.8% (95%CI 1.8;4.1) reported regular consumption. Beans were the most regularly consumed food (48.3%); fruit, cooked vegetables and raw salads were consumed regularly by less than 30% of the students. Doing physical activities, having breakfast and having meals with the family were associated with regular consumption of the foods assessed.

Conclusion: regular consumption of healthy foods was low in this population, and was associated with behavioral factors.