Abstract
The food consumption of 15,071 public employees was analyzed in six Brazilian cities participating in the baseline for Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil, 2008-2010) with the aim of identifying eating patterns and their relationship to socio-demographic variables. Multiple correspondence and cluster analysis were applied. Four patterns were identified, with their respective frequencies: "traditional" (48%); "fruits and vegetables" (25%); "pastry shop" (24%); and "diet/light" (5%) The "traditional" and "pastry shop" patterns were more frequent among men, younger individuals, and those with less schooling. "Fruits and vegetables" and "diet/light" were more frequent in women, older individuals, and those with more schooling. Our findings show the inclusion of new items in the "traditional" pattern and the appearance of the "low sugar/low fat" pattern among the eating habits of Brazilian workers, and signal socio-demographic and regional differences.
Highlights
Obesity, a leading health problem in many countries around the world, is very difficult to reverse
International organizations have encouraged the study of dietary patterns 3 to evaluate a population’s overall diet
Alcoholic beverages were eliminated as this study aimed to identify dietary patterns
Summary
A leading health problem in many countries around the world, is very difficult to reverse. The current proposed dietary guidelines for the Brazilian population 2, designed to promote a healthy diet in the Brazilian context and encouraging the consumption of “real food” (i.e. foods in their natural state or with minimal processing), constitute a new strategy for future interventions. It is fundamentally important to verify what Brazilian adults are eating today – not with a view to adjusting recommendations on nutrient intake in the strict sense, but to identify what foods are being consumed, so as to suit the proposals of the guide to the realities of people’s actual diets. International organizations have encouraged the study of dietary patterns 3 to evaluate a population’s overall diet. Dietary patterns are preferred over isolated nutrients, because studying specific compounds can attenuate the strength or prevent the identification of possible associations between overall diet and the risk of chronic disease 4. Identifying dietary patterns can help to establish new interventions, because they show how foods are combined into a dietary routine 5
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