Resumo Objetivou-se estudar a associação entre padrão alimentar, fatores demográficos, socioeconômicos e o ambiente alimentar em uma população de adultos e idosos de uma cidade do Sul do Brasil. Estudo transversal com pessoas de ambos os sexos e idade entre 20 e 70 anos. Os padrões alimentares foram identificados por meio da análise de componentes principais. A regressão de Poisson foi utilizada para estimar as razões de prevalência brutas e ajustadas e os intervalos de 95% de confiança (IC 95%). Quatro padrões alimentares foram identificados: saudável, tradicional, carboidratos e açúcares refinados e fast food. Encontraram-se associações positivas entre: sexo feminino e maior renda com o padrão alimentar saudável; cor da pele preta ou parda e domicílios com seis ou mais moradores com padrões alimentares tradicional e carboidratos e açúcares refinados; maior escolaridade com o padrão fast food. Realizar as principais refeições em casa associou-se ao padrão tradicional, e almoço ou jantar fora do domicílio com os padrões carboidratos e açúcares refinados e fast food. Posição socioeconômica mais baixa leva ao maior consumo do padrão alimentar tradicional e/ou rico em carboidratos e açúcares, e uma posição socioeconômica mais elevada parece permitir uma escolha entre padrão saudável ou fast food.

The prevalence of overweight in Brazilian adults has grown in recent years. There is evidence indicating that environmental factors, especially social characteristics, may be involved in the aetiology of overweight, but few studies have investigated this association adequately. The main objective of this study was to identify residents’ perception of their social environment (social cohesion, security and violence) and assess its relationship with overweight in a central area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The associations between socioeconomic characteristics and social environment perception were also explored. This cross-sectional study conducted in 2018–19 had 400 participants aged from 20 to 70 years living in low- and high-income areas of the city of Porto Alegre. Participants’ perception of social cohesion, security and violence were evaluated using a validated questionnaire. Participants’ body mass index (BMI) was measured, and those with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 were considered to be overweight. Unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated through Poisson regression analysis; level of significance was 5%. The prevalence of overweight in the sample was 68.8% (95% CI 64.0–73.2). Individuals with a more positive social cohesion perception had a higher prevalence of overweight (PR 1.06; 95% CI: 1.00–1.12; p=0.02) than those with a less positive perception. Brown individuals also had a higher prevalence of overweight (PR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02–1.15; p=0.03) than those of other skin colour/race. No association was found between overweight and perception of security or violence. Therefore, social cohesion may be an important factor in overweight and the findings highlight the importance of considering social factors, and their perceptions, when planning actions for the prevention and control of overweight in a population.

This study aimed to verify the association between the community food environment and dietary patterns in a population of different socioeconomic levels. This cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 400 adults and elderly aged between 20 and 70 years residing in the central area of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Four dietary patterns were explored: healthy, traditional Brazilian, refined carbohydrates and sugars, and fast food. The community food environment included the identification of all food stores by areas where individuals lived and auditing based on the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) score. Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PRs) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). After the adjustment for individual sociodemographic characteristics, residents of the area with the best community food environment (highest NEMS-S score) had 12% and 18% lower probabilities of high consumption (upper tertile) of the traditional (PR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78–0.98) and refined carbohydrate and sugar (PR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73–0.92) dietary patterns, respectively, compared to those living in the area with the worst community food environment (lowest NEMS-S score). Healthy and fast food dietary patterns showed no association with the community food environment. In conclusion, the community food environment is a factor associated with the consumption of certain dietary patterns, independent of individual sociodemographic characteristics. Thus, aspects of the community food environment become important in food and nutrition actions and policies aimed at health promotion.

Objective: the study aimed to analyze the direct and indirect associations of self-reported experience of racial discrimination with dietary patterns, obesity, and abdominal obesity. Design: it is a cross-sectional population-based study. The main exposure was self-reported experiences of racial discrimination which was assessed by the Experiences of Discrimination scale. The mediator variables were the dietary patterns: healthy, traditional Brazilian, refined carbohydrates and sugars, and fast food. The outcomes were obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m²), and abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 88 cm for women and ≥ 102 cm for men). Structural equation modeling was used to clarify relationships between exposures, outcomes and mediating variables. Setting: Porto Alegre, Brazil Participants: 400 adults aged between 20 and 70 years. Results: the mean age of participants was 47.2 years (SD = 13.9 years). Experience racial discrimination had a positive direct effect on obesity and abdominal obesity in all models. The experience of racial discrimination did not have a direct effect on any dietary pattern neither the experience of racial discrimination did not have an indirect effect on obesity and abdominal obesity via any dietary pattern. Conclusions: our results suggest that a higher experience of racial discrimination is associated with obesity and abdominal obesity, and its association is independent of healthy or unhealthy dietary patterns.