Diet quality among adolescents in the public education system in a municipality in Southern Brazil: a cross-sectional study, 2019

Objective: To identify the factors associated with the diet quality among 9d grade students in the municipal education system of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in 2019. Food information was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality was assessed through an index developed by the authors. Diet was classified as low, intermediate or high quality. The association was assessed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: The 808 adolescents evaluated obtained a mean score of 16.0 points (deviation-standard=4.1) according to the developed index. The high diet quality was associated with tobacco experimentation [odds ratio (OR) 2.92; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.74;4.92] and leisure-time physical activity (OR=1.65; 95%CI 1.15;2..38). Conclusion: We highlighted the importance of encouraging physical activity practice, monitoring risk behaviors among adolescents and promoting the consumption of healthy food.