Factors associated with the quality of the diet of residents of a rural area in Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with a better quality of the diet of residents of a rural area in Southern Brazil. METHODS: This is a population-based, cross-sectional study with individuals aged 18 years or over living in the rural area of Pelotas, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Food consumption was evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire of thirteen items, related to the consumption in the last week. We evaluated quality of the diet using the Adult Diet Quality Index (IQD-A). Healthy food received increasing scores while unhealthy food received decreasing scores, according to consumption frequency, amounting to scores from zero to 30. The total score was divided into tertiles. Individuals of the third tertile were classified with better quality of the diet. We investigated the association between quality of the diet and independent variables using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: We interviewed 1,519 individuals with mean IQD-A of 17.1 points (SD = 3.3) and a median of 17.0 (range of 10 to 25 points). Although the population studied kept the consumption of staple foods, the intake of industrialized food such as soft drinks, artificial juices, and unhealthy foods such as sweets was high. Older individuals presented seven times (95% CI 4.20-12.48) more chance of having a better quality of the diet. Women, individuals with higher economic status, those who worked in the sale of animals, or those who had diabetes were approximately twice as likely to be in the group with the best quality of the diet. Individuals whose families worked with fishing presented a 70% lower chance of being in the group of better quality of the diet. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that men, younger adults, individuals of lower socioeconomic level, and fishing families were in the group of higher vulnerability for the consumption of a diet with worse quality. Thus, public policies, especially educational policies, are needed to promote healthy eating in this group.