Qualidade da dieta de moradores da zona rural do sul do Brasil

Abstract

Due to the epidemiological transition, major changes occurred in health and disease processes in Brazil, which interact with demographic, economic, social, cultural and environmental factors. In addition to infectious diseases, there is an increase in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), among these diseases there are major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and neuropsychiatric diseases. These stand out because they have generated a high number of premature deaths, loss of quality of life, disabilities and a high degree of limitation in work and leisure activities. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, excess weight, high cholesterol levels, inadequate diet and physical inactivity are among the main factors associated with NCDs. Due to rapid urbanization, changes in the age composition and presence of women in the workforce, changes have occurred in Brazilian families' expenses and food acquisition in recent years. Furthermore, there have been marked changes in the diet of the Brazilian population, due to the increased consumption of ready-to-eat industrialized foods replacing “traditional” foods such as rice, beans, cassava, potatoes, legumes and greens. Residents of rural areas have better diet quality when compared to those in urban areas, due to the greater consumption of traditional foods such as rice, beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, cassava flour, fruits and fish. In the 2013 National Health Survey (PNS), regular consumption (five or more days a week) of fruits/vegetables and beans was 31.2% and 76.3%, respectively, in rural areas. In the urban area, for the aforementioned items, it was 38.2% and 71.2%, respectively. Among foods with a high fat and sugar content, a high percentage of consumption was observed among individuals in rural areas, who eat meat or chicken with fat (45.8%), whole milk (62.2%), consumption regular soft drinks (13.1%) and sweets (19.5%). Food consumption can be influenced by income. Families with lower income have better diet quality, with a predominance of consumption of basic foods (rice, beans, fish and corn). However, as family income increases, there is a greater consumption of foods of low nutritional quality, such as sweets, soft drinks, pizzas and fried and baked snacks. Given the above, this study aims to evaluate the food consumption of adults living in the rural area of Pelotas/RS.