Frequency of fiber-rich food intake and associated factors in a Southern Brazilian population

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the frequency of fiber-rich food intake and evaluate its association with socioeconomic, demographic and behavioral characteristics. A city representative sample was selected and 3,993 subjects (> 10 years) were interviewed. The study used the Block Screening Questionnaire. A majority of subjects - 65.6% (95%CI: 64.2-67.1) - presented an inadequate intake frequency. Adjusted analysis for the overall sample showed an increased risk of inadequate frequency among men, adolescents, people of lower socioeconomic levels, current smokers, those insufficiently active and those having fewer than four daily meals. Age group-stratified analysis showed that among adolescents, living alone was a risk factor; for adults, risk factors were sex (male), current smoker, insufficiently active and fewer than four daily meals and; among the elderly they were male and being a current smoker. A lower socioeconomic level was associated to the outcome in all groups. Although the inadequate frequency of intake is very common in this population, teenagers are at a higher risk, pointing to a need for public health actions targeting this particular age group.