Patterns of risk and protective behaviors related to non-communicable diseases among Brazilian adolescents

Author(s)

Camila Zancheta Ricardo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD)
• Defense date: 2017-06-29

Examining board members

Renata Bertazzi Levy; Inês Rugani Ribeiro de Castro; Alicia Matijasevich Manitto

• Advisor: Renata Bertazzi Levy

Abstract

Introduction: A small group of modifiable risk factors accounts for most of the disease burden and mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCD). These risk behaviors frequently originate in adolescence and remain in adulthood with short-, medium- and long-term consequences. Currently, in addition to determining the prevalence of each of the risk factors, it is important to evaluate how they cluster among the population, since some of these behaviors might interact with each other, producing an even greater risk than the sheer sum of individual risks. Objectives: To identify patterns of risk and protection behaviors related to chronic diseases among Brazilian adolescents and to verify their association with socioeconomic and demographic characteristics; And to assess the co-occurrence of multiple risk factors among adolescents, to investigate the clustering of risk factors, and to verify the association of presence of multiple risk factors with population characteristics. Methods: Our data source was the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar - PeNSE) 2012, which collected data on adolescent health through a self-administered questionnaire in a representative sample of students enrolled in the 9th grade of elementary education in public and private Brazilian schools. We used data about diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Factor analysis was used to identify patterns of behavior from a list of risk and protective factors for NCD. The association between the identified patterns and students\' characteristics was evaluated using linear regression models. The co-occurrence of multiple risk factors was evaluated with a score corresponding to the sum of five behaviors: 1) Infrequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, 2) Frequent consumption of ultraprocessed foods; 3) Insufficient physical activity; 4) Smoke; and 5) Abuse of alcohol. The clustering was identified using the ratio between the observed and expected prevalence (O/E) for each of the 32 combinations of risk factors. Observed/expected ratios (O/E) higher than 1 were considered an indicative of clustering. The association between the prevalence of four or five risk factors and the socioeconomic and demographic variables was evaluated using a logistic regression model. Results: Four patterns of behavior were found: \"unhealthy diet\", \"healthy diet\", \"physical activity\" and \"alcohol and cigarette use\". In general, the groups that presented the worst profile of adherence to the behavioral patterns found were: girls, older adolescents, and those who did not live with the mother and the father. Regarding the simultaneous occurrence of defined risk factors, only 2.5% of adolescents did not present any of the behaviors, while 38.1% accumulated two, 34.2%, three, 8.9%, four and 1.5% all of risk factors analyzed. The most common combinations of behaviors in adolescents were those in which risk factors related to diet and physical activity were present, even though O/E ratios were close to one. The highest O/E ratios were found for the combination of cigarette and alcohol, suggesting a strong correlation between the use of both substances, although the prevalence is low in this age group. The characteristics associated with the presence of four or five risk factors were: female, being over 16 years old, not living with the mother and father, lower education of the mother, being a public school student, living in capitals, and living in the more developed regions of the country. Conclusion: The risk behaviors related to diet and physical activity are the most frequent and occur independently in this age group. On the other hand, cigarette and alcohol use is highly correlated, despite the low prevalence. The presence of multiple risk factors is common in this population and the identification of more vulnerable groups can support strategies for health promotion and prevention of diseases related to the control of CNCD even during adolescence (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/26711-3 - Patterns of risk and protective behaviors related to non-communicable diseases among Brazilian adolescents
• Grantee: Camila Zancheta Ricardo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master