Fatores socioeconômicos e o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados em gestantes assistidas na atenção primária à saúde de Cajazeiras-PB

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a phase in a woman's life marked by physiological, metabolic, hormonal and psychological changes for the formation and development of the fetus, which are motivated by biological and nutritional needs, sociocultural, economic and political aspects. Evidence shows a positive relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and overweight and obesity in the general population, as well as gestational weight gain. The NOVA classification categorizes foods into four groups: fresh and minimally processed foods, culinary ingredients, processed and ultra-processed foods. Objective: To evaluate socioeconomic factors and the consumption of UPF in pregnant women assisted by primary health care (PHC) in the city of Cajazeiras-PB, Brazil. Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional quantitative study with 99 pregnant women assisted by the PHC of Cajazeiras-PB. Food consumption was assessed using the simplified UPF consumption questionnaire, according to the NOVA classification, and socioeconomic factors using a structured questionnaire. The analyses were conducted using version 24.1 of SPSS statistical software with a significance level of 5%. Results: The most consumed food subgroups were: sweet cookies, sandwich cookies or packaged mini cakes (41,4%); sliced, hot dog or hamburger bread (39,4%); chocolate, ice cream, gelatin, flan or processed dessert (36,4%); sauces and spreads (33,3%); and reconstituted meat products (30,3%). Almost 60% of pregnant women reported consuming 1 to 3 of the UPF subgroups. Conclusion: There was no statistically significant association between UPF consumption and socioeconomic factors, which implies that further studies are required using other forms of assessing food consumption.