A COVID-19 e mudanças nos hábitos alimentares e na prática de atividade física de adolescentes brasileiros: resultados da pesquisa ConVid Adolescentes

Abstract

Introduction: Social distancing, the most effective measure to contain the spread of COVID-19, has led to a rapid and intense change in the routine of adolescents with potential repercussions that may result in changes in lifestyles, affecting current and future health, including adult life. Objective: Analyze the subgroups most affected by changes in dietary habits and physical activity (PA) among Brazilian adolescents during the isolation period. Methods: This was an analytical study using data from the "ConVid Adolescents - Behavior Survey", which conducted a virtual survey with 9,470 adolescents aged 12 to 17 from all states in the country during the months of June to September 2020. Eating habits were evaluated by low consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) and high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF). Insufficient PA was defined as engaging in less than 300 minutes of PA per week. The variables age group, sex, race/skin color, type of school, mother's level of education, financial difficulty during the pandemic, food insecurity, region of the country, and intensity of social restriction were used to identify the subgroups most affected. The prevalence (95%CI) of outcomes before and during the pandemic were calculated, considering it significant when there was no overlap of the 95%CI. The incidence of outcomes during the pandemic was also calculated. Logistic regression models were used to identify the most affected subgroups, with a significance level of 5% and odds ratio (OR) as the measure of association. Results: A reduction in low consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) during the pandemic was observed compared to the previous period (83.5% to 80.3%), and there was no significant difference in high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) before and during the pandemic (38.9% to 38.1%). The incidences of high consumption of UPF and low consumption of FV during the pandemic were 13.8% and 20.3%, respectively. Girls, adolescents from private schools, those who reported financial difficulties and food insecurity during the pandemic, and those with higher maternal education were the subgroups most affected by low consumption of FV and high consumption of UPF. Insufficient physical activity (PA) increased during the pandemic (71.3% in the previous period to 84.3% during the pandemic). The incidence of insufficient PA during the pandemic was 69.6%. The subgroups most affected were those who self-declared as Black, reported financial difficulties during the pandemic, resided in the Southeast and South regions of the country, and practiced intense and total social restriction. Conclusions: Although there was little change in the prevalence of FV and UPF consumption before and during the pandemic, the incidence of high consumption of UPF and low consumption of FV was high and identified in specific subgroups. A high incidence of insufficient PA, with an impact on the increase in the prevalence of this behavior, was observed among Brazilian adolescents during the pandemic. It is recommended that further studies explore periods after those analyzed here, especially to identify the behavioral dynamics of adolescents after the return of face-to-face activities, as well as the subsequent years after the pandemic.