A healthy diet reflects other healthy behaviours and contributes to better health outcomes.
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to describe the diet quality of Portuguese adolescents and its associations with physical activity, screen-time, sleep duration, and socioeconomic status, considering body composition and maturity.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study included 669 participants aged 10–17 years from four state schools in the Lisbon area, Portugal. The diet quality was obtained through the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), adapted for the Mediterranean diet. The lifestyle variables (physical activity, screen-time, sleep duration, and socioeconomic status) were reported in the Biosocial and Life Routine Questionnaire (RAPIL II). The fat mass (FM) was estimated from skinfolds thickness and body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the World Health Organization criteria. Maturity indicators were predicted and objectively measured. Analyses were stratified by sex.
RESULTS:
Participants showed a mean DQI-I of 50.0% and a high compliance with protein, iron, vitamin C, and cholesterol recommendations. More than 50% exhibit low vegetables and fruit consumption and high saturated fat, sodium and “empty calorie foods” intakes. Fruit, grain, fibre, iron, calcium, cholesterol, sodium, “empty calorie foods”, and fatty acid ratio showed significant sex differences (p < 0.05), mainly due to age and physical activity.
CONCLUSIONS:
Overall adolescents showed low diet quality. Most participants reported not to meet vegetable, fruit, grain, and fibre recommendations. Both, the older boys and with the lowest FM showed better adequacy for grain and fibre intakes, whereas worse compliance for cholesterol. Among girls, higher grain and calcium intake reflect higher levels of physical activity.
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