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Pattern of meals eaten by adolescents from technical schools of São Paulo, SP, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and characterize the meal con-sumption of adolescents. METHODS:This cross-sectional study enrolled 71 high school students from technical schools of São Paulo (SP), Brazil. A questionnaire to assess food attitudes of adoles-cents was applied to the students. The variables studied were: frequency, location, with whom they had meals and the replacement of lunch and/or dinner for snacks. Data were analyzed descriptively. The chi-square test was used to compare variables by gender, being significant p<0.05. RESULTS: Among 71 adolescents, 58% were female. The majority reported eating the main meals at home (88% breakfast, 91% lunch, 96% dinner). Regarding the frequen-cy of meal consumption, 49% have breakfast, 65% lunch, and 51% have dinner every day. Adolescents not only eat breakfast (48%) but also lunch (39%) alone, while the dinner (77%) is a family meal. Eating meal with parents differed between genders (p=0.022). Snacks replaced lunch for 29% of the adolescents. Among these, 17% replace lunch once or twice a week. Snacks replace dinner for 62% of the studied population and 42% of them once or twice a week. CONCLUSIONS: Although young people eat their meals at home, these meals are not taken daily or in the company of their parents.

adolescent; food consumption; food preferences


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