Sedentary behavior and consumption of ultra-processed foods by Brazilian adolescents: Brazilian National School Health Survey (PeNSE), 2015

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between sedentary behavior and consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) among Brazilian adolescents. The study used data from the 2015 edition of the Brazilian National School Health Survey (PeNSE). Daily consumption of at least one group of UPF was the outcome, and the principal exposure was daily time spent in sedentary behavior (hours spent sitting, except for time sitting at school). We calculated prevalence rates, prevalence ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The analyses were adjusted for gender, age, skin color, maternal schooling, household assets index, major geographic region, and school's administrative jurisdiction (public versus private). Forty percent of the schoolchildren reported daily consumption of at least one group of UPF (39.7%; 95%CI: 39.2-40.3), while 68.1% (95%CI: 67.7-68.7) reported > 2 hours/day of sedentary behavior. Among schoolchildren with sedentary behavior > 2 hours/day, prevalence of daily consumption of UPF was 42.8% (95%CI: 42.1-43.6%), higher than among those without sedentary behavior (29.8%; 95% CI: 29.0-30.5%). Longer time spent in sedentary behavior was associated with higher prevalence of consumption of UPF (p-value for linear trend < 0.001). Strategies to promote healthy eating and decrease sedentary behavior, as well as regulation of advertising for UPF, are necessary to prevent unhealthy lifestyles from persisting into adulthood.