ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FOOD CONSUMPTION AS PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE INCREASE IN TEENAGERS

Abstract

Introduction: the eating habits of young people have changed significantly over the last few decades. Teenagers tend to have less than desirable intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and wholegrain products, and higher intake of foods high in saturated and trans fats, leading to increased waist circumference and consequent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Objective: to analyse the relationship between dietary intake as predictor of and increased abdominal circumference in teenagers. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 818 teenagers aged between 10 and 14 years, of both genders, enrolled in state public schools in the metropolitan region of Vitória, Espirito Santo, Brazil, from August 2012 to October 2013. Waist circumference (WC) measurements were carried out in duplicate and the arithmetic mean was calculated. The dietary intake was identified from a simplified food questionnaire containing foods whose consumption is high or that present excessive risk of coronary heart disease in teenagers. The statistical analysis was done through Pearson’s chi-squared test. Results: a proportion of 55.9% of the sample had an adequate food intake, 15.6% a high intake and 28.5% an excessive intake. Among teenagers who had an adequate, high and excessive dietary intake, 5.6% (N = 46), 1.1% (N = 9) and 2.6% (N = 21) had increased WC, respectively. The result of the chi-squared test indicated no association between dietary intake as predictor of cardiovascular risk and WC, p-value = 0.576. Conclusion: there was no association between dietary intake presenting cardiovascular risk and increased waist circumference.