Objective: To identify dietary patterns among adolescents and to assess their association with socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics and nutritional status.
Methods: A probabilistic clustered two-stage sample of students between 14 and 19 years old from public and private high schools from Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, was investigated (n = 1.139). A self-administered food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain information on food intake. Nutritional status was classified according to the Body Mass Index (BMI = weight/height²) z-score. Socioeconomic status was inferred by the education level of head of household and by the presence of electrical appliances in the household. Dietary patterns were identified by applying exploratory factor analysis (extraction method: principal component analysis) and their relationship with socioeconomic conditions, lifestyle variables, and nutritional status was estimated by mutually adjusted multilinear regression models.
Results: "Western", "traditional" and "mixed" dietary patterns were identified. Studying in the morning hours and reporting the intake of alcoholic beverages were associated with greater adherence to the "Western" pattern. Male low-income students from public schools who have a BMI in the normal range preferred the "traditional" pattern. The "mixed" pattern was adopted by boys from public schools reporting physical activity.
Conclusion: Several factors were associated with dietary patterns of adolescents and the Brazilian traditional diet was associated with normal weight.