The food environment of Brazilian public and private schools

Abstract

This study’s aim was to characterize the food environment of Brazilian public and private schools. This was a national school-based cross-sectional study with 1,247 schools - among which 81.09% were public and 18.91% were private - in 124 Brazilian municipalities. The data originated from the Questionnaire on Aspects of the School Environment, used in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (ERICA) in 2013 and 2014. Data analysis was conducted in 2017. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions. A greater proportion of public schools offered school meals (98.15%) in comparison to private schools (8.07%) (p < 0.001). The internal sale of food and beverages was more prevalent in private schools (97.75% vs. 45.06%, p < 0.001). Also, sale and advertisement of processed and ultra-processed foods (sodas, cookies, savory snacks, sandwiches and pizza), as well as the presence of vending machines for industrialized products (18.02% vs. 4%) (p < 0.001) were more common in private schools. Street vendors at the school gate or surroundings were identified in 41.32% of the public schools and 47.75% of the private schools (p > 0.05). These findings reveal the predominance of obesogenic environments mainly in private schools, and can contribute to the design of Brazilian public policies to promote a healthy school food environment.

Sociocultural Influences on Dietary Practices and Physical Activity Behaviors of Rural Adolescents—A Qualitative Exploration

“…Likewise, dietary practices and food choices of adolescents in the present study were shaped, to a significant extent, by their easy access to foods sold at the school gates, adjacent to schools or on their way to and back from school being reinforced by peer influence, lack of affordability and access to healthier alternatives. The school food environment in Matlab is distinct from that of urban or high-income settings reported elsewhere [54,55,78], dominated by street food vendors and small-scale retailers that typically offer very oily, deep fried, nutrient-poor street foods or empty-calorie foods like potato chips, industrially-produced snack mixes, muffins or biscuits in small, attractive packets. Consequently, fruits, salad, vegetables, dairy and whole grain products were of very limited availability.…”

Body size dissatisfaction associated with dietary pattern, overweight, and physical activity in adolescents: A cross‐sectional study

“…Almost all Brazilian public schools offer meals (98.2%), whereas only a small number of private schools do (8.1%). In addition, the internal sale of food and beverages is much higher in private than in public schools (97.8% vs 45.1%) (Carmo, Assis, Cunha, Oliveira, & Mendes, 2018). This greater exposure to ultra‐processed/industrialized foods consumption, such as sodas, sweets, and fast foods, may lead to lower healthy eating habits in students.…”

Consumption of school meals provided by PNAE among brazilian public school adolescents

“…Environments can be characterized as obesogenic, if they favor and contribute to the increase in the prevalence of obesity 27,28,29,30 . Carmo et al 31 characterized the food environment around the schools participating in the ERICA study and found that around 70.1% of public schools had street vendors and 56% had cafeterias and snack bars.…”