Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To evaluate associations between snacking and energy, nutrients and food source, and to identify the contribution of snacking across age, sex, weight status and lifestyle behaviors among adolescents and young adults.Methods: A sub-sample was calculated from the population-based cross-sectional study 2015-Health Survey of São Paulo (ISA-Capital). The survey “ISA-Nutrição” used a sample of non-institutionalized individuals aged >15 years. For this study, only adolescents (12-18 years old; n=418) and young adults (19-29 years old; n=218) were included. Snacks were identified, and their contribution to energy, nutrients, and food sources were calculated. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used.Results: Participants experienced an average of 2.9±0.6 snacking occasions per day. Young adults consumed more energy from morning and night snacks, and adolescents, from afternoon snacks. The top three food sources on snacking contributed to 30.5% of energy: cookies (11.8%), sugar sweetened beverages (9.4%), sweets and other desserts (9.3%). Although results were non-significant, being a female (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.93; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 0.36-1.49), meeting the physical activity recommendations (OR 0.75; 95%CI 0.25-1.25), and scoring higher for the healthy eating index (OR 0.88; 95%C 0.24-1.52) were all factors related to increased intake of snacks. Alternatively, overweight individuals (OR -0.54; 95%CI -1.00 to -0.08) consumed less snacks.Conclusions: Improving the quality of snacks should be considered in behavior-change strategies.
Highlights
While non-modifiable mechanisms are partly the blame, modifiable risk factors are considered the primarily root in the genesis of obesity.[1,2] Obesity is a significant public health concern because of its increase prevalence and adverse effects on psychosocial and physical health.[3,4] Adolescents and adults had a higher overweight prevalence and older adults were higher for being obese.[5]Evidence shows that Brazilian adolescents and young adults are failing to meet current dietary recommendations of healthy eating,[6] being more pronounced among adolescents from low-income families, and with ethnic/racially diverse backgrounds.[7]
Almost 70% of the participants were not overweight/obese, 71.1% of them did not meet the recommendations for physical activity (PA) and 87.9% of them spent more than 2 hours/day on screens
The findings indicated that snacking behaviors differed between adolescents and young adults
Summary
Evidence shows that Brazilian adolescents and young adults are failing to meet current dietary recommendations of healthy eating,[6] being more pronounced among adolescents from low-income families, and with ethnic/racially diverse backgrounds.[7] Over the past decades, practitioners and policy makers have been worried about the increase frequency of snacking, i.e., in-between meals, their daily energy intake, and food and beverages sources consumed as snacks. Adolescents consumed roughly one-third of total daily energy intake from snacks.[8] In adults, snacking occasions and total energy intakes has been increasing, while substituting lean meats and dairy food sources has been observed.[9] considerable contribution of snacking to adolescents and adults’ total energy intake are needed to comprehend how snacks contribute to weight status and other lifestyle behaviors.[9,10]
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