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The relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and internalising symptoms among adolescents from São Paulo city, Southeast Brazil
In this cross-sectional study by Faisal-Cury et al. (2021), the authors examined the links between the consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) and internalizing symptoms (IS), in a population of 2680 adolescent students (mean age = 14.85 years). The study participants completed in-classroom surveys outlining their UPF intake and IS. In addition, IS was evaluated using the Internalizing Symptoms subscale from the Social Behavior Questionnaire (IS-SBQ), while UPF consumption was evaluated using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) derived from the Brazilian National School Health Survey. Analysis of the results revealed that UPF intake leads to higher IS scores in adolescents, while the following variables were found to associate with lower UPF intake risk: male sex, having meals with parents, and attending public schools. The authors conclude that their results present evidence of the relationship between consuming UPF and IS in adolescents. Despite the lower magnitude of this relationship, significance was sustained after adjusting for confounders, which is of substantial relevance when considering the global UPF consumption trends in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, the authors highlight the necessity of promoting healthy dietary practices in order to reduce UPF intake in adolescents. [NPID: Adolescence, anxiety, depression, dietary patterns, internalizing symptoms, Ultra-processed foods]
Year: 2021
