Estágios de mudança de comportamento alimentar e sua associação com o padrão de consumo alimentar de universitários

Abstract

Introduction: The eating behavior of university students can be influenced by new habits and social relationships. And, understanding the motivation that leads the individual to make their consumption can contribute to a better evaluation of this population group. Associated with this, analyzing through the pattern of food consumption has been shown to be a tool with excellent potential, as it considers food preferences and possible associations between foods and the impact on health. Objective: To analyze the potential association of the stages of behavior change with the food consumption patterns of a sample of university students. Methodology: Sectional analysis of a sample of university students enrolled in the second academic period of a federal university. To assess the stage of change in eating behavior, we used the trans-theoretical model about the consumption of fatty foods, sweets, fruits and vegetables. For better analysis, the initial variables were stratified into: motivated (action and maintenance) and non-motivated (decision, contemplation and pre-contemplation). Information on food consumption was obtained by applying a validated semi-quantitative food consumption questionnaire. Processing and statistical analysis were performed using SPSS, 21. Descriptive analysis, principal component analysis and logistic regression were performed. Results: It was observed that the majority of university students were not motivated to change the consumption of fatty and sugary foods and were motivated to consume fruits and vegetables. Three dietary patterns were extracted, which explained 46.5% of the variance in food consumption. The identified patterns were named as: Western Standard (carbohydrates, sausages / canned foods, comfort food, fats, milk and dairy products, sugary drinks and eggs); Healthy (meat, fruit, vegetables, eggs); Rice and Beans (beans, rice, coffee and no fish consumption). After adjusting for sex, body mass index and pattern of food consumption, the individuals most motivated to reduce the consumption of fatty and sugary foods, had a greater tendency to consume food adhering to the “Healthy” Standards (2,688; 95% CI 1,137 - 6.358) and “Rice and Beans” (2.284; 95% CI 0.974 - 5.358), when compared to those partially motivated and not motivated. For the “Western” Standard, this trend was reversed (0.246; 95% CI 0.099 - 0.620). The university students, more motivated to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, had a greater tendency to consume food adhering to the “Healthy” Standards (4.477; 95% CI 1.842 - 10.882) and “Rice and Beans” (1.936; 95% CI 0.881 - 4,352), when compared to those partially motivated and not motivated. In the “Western” Standard, this trend was reversed (0.460; 95% CI 0.195 - 1.084). Conclusion: A self-reported motivation for a change in eating behavior is associated with a trend towards a healthier pattern. This finding is especially useful in the routine of professionals and in the formulation of policies that take into account behavioral motivation strategies and not just the transfer of information and knowledge to promote healthy eating