Consumption of minimally processed and ultra-processed foods by individuals on hemodialysis in southeastern Brazil

Introduction: The individuals with chronic kidney disease show low adherence to a diet rich in vegetables. Objective: To evaluate the association of minimally processed and ultra-processed food consumption with socioeconomic factors, lifestyle habits, and clinical characteristics of hemodialysis service users in southeastern Brazilian. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 1,024 individuals on hemodialysis from southeastern Brazil. The individuals answered a questionnaire of sociodemographic data, lifestyle habits, and food consumption. After stipulating the frequency of consumption, we classified the foods as minimally processed and ultra-processed. We investigated the association between independent variables and the consumption of minimally processed and ultra-processed foods through the binary logistic regression model with Odds Ratio (OR) and their confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Users with less than eight years of education (OR=1.706; 95%CI1.125–2.589) and with income less than two minimum wages (OR=1.349; 95%CI1.007–1.806) had lower consumption of minimally processed foods. However, individuals aged 19 to 29 years (OR=2,857, 95%CI1.464–5.576), smokers (OR=2.349; 95%CI1.237–4.462), drinkers (OR=1.835; 95%CI1.122–3.001), and with more than 6 years on hemodialysis (OR=1.975; 95%CI1.227–3.180) were more likely to have higher consumption of ultra-processed foods. Individuals that did not practice physical activity were less likely to this consumption (OR=0.638; 95%CI0.459–0.888). Conclusion: Being younger, smoking, consuming alcohol, and having been on hemodialysis for more than 6 years increased the chances of greater consumption of ultra-processed foods. In addition, we associated less education and lower income with a lower consumption of minimally processed foods.