Santos da Silva, Catarine, de Carvalho Lima, Marilia, Chaves Curioni, Cintia, Coelho Cabral, Poliana, Hidalgo Villareal, Veronica Ileana, Schieck Valente, Flávio Luiz, Cabral de Lira, Pedro Israel, and Batista Filho, Malaquias
Introduction: The current globalized model of food production leads to the homogenization of diet, with a reduction in the consumption of unprocessed foods and the considerable participation of ultra-processed foods. Objective: Investigate factors associated with food consumption among adults considering the degree of food processing. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with adults in the state of Pernambuco involving the assessment of food consumption. Data were also collected on sociodemographic characteristics, food insecurity and aspects related to food acquisition. A food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate food intake, with the categorization of foods according to the degree of processing and the subsequent analysis of consumption scores. Associations between food consumption and explanatory variables were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test, the latter of which was complemented with the post hoc Mann-Whitney U test. Associations with a p-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: One thousand sixty-six adults were interviewed. Most had a low level of schooling and low income, were beneficiaries of the income transfer program and were in a situation of food insecurity. These variables were associated with the consumption of particular food groups. Differences in consumption were found according to place of residence, sex, age group, mode of food acquisition, place of purchase and the habit of reading food labels. Conclusions: In the globalized context that stimulates the consumption of industrialized foods, aspects such as sex, economic status, place of residence and food purchasing environment and practices can serve as protective factors that ensure the greater consumption of minimally processed foods or risk factors for the consumption of ultra-processed foods products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]