In Chile, compliance with the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (GABA) ensures an adequate and ba lanced diet.
Objective: To determine compliance with five GABA recommendations and their asso ciations with anthropometric, lifestyle, and metabolic variables, in adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years who participated in the Chilean National Health Survey 2016-2017.
Subjects and method: Cross-sectional study including 355 adolescents. Participants were divided into four groups (fulfilled 0, 1, 2, or ≥ 3 recommendations) using five messages from the GABA (consumption of legumes, fish, dairy products, water, and fruits and vegetables). Associations between GABA and outcome variables (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, physical activity, sleep, and metabolic variables) were investigated using linear regression analyses adjusted by sociodemographic confounders.
Results: 5.6% of the adolescents met three or more GABA recommendations. Of the recommendations mea sured, the consumption of water (85%) and legumes (78.7%) presented greater compliance, showing differences between women and men regarding the consumption of legumes (58.6% vs. 86.4%), wa ter (69.6% vs. 91%), and dairy products (92.9% vs. 39.1%). Adolescents with higher compliance with GABA had a better concentration of lower glycemia (p = 0.025). There were no other significant asso ciations between lifestyle and anthropometric measurements.
Conclusions: Adolescents who partici pated in this study presented difficulties in adhering to GABA recommendations, thus compromising the maintenance of healthy lifestyles.