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Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods in the Brazilian Amazon during COVID-19
Elyecleyde Katiane da Silva Oliveira1,2, Tamires Dos Santos Vieira3, Orivaldo Florêncio de Souza4
1Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, University Center FMABC, Santo André 09060-650, SP, Brazil.
Background:
A COVID-19 pandemic erupted, causing a global viral pneumonia outbreak, marking the most significant public health crisis of the 21st century. These changes profoundly impacted population health and well-being, leading to shifts in dietary habits. This study aimed to evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the Brazilian Amazon before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
This is a secondary data analysis study derived from the Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel, 2019-2021) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. All statistical analyses were performed using the Stata 17 statistical program in the survey module (svy).
Results:
We found an increased frequency in the subgroups of consumption of ultra-processed foods in the capital of the Brazilian Amazon region between the years 2019 and 2021. In the cities of Boa Vista and Macapá, there was a significant increase in the consumption of snacks, salty snacks, cookies, and meat products. Boa Vista and Macapá showed an increase in the percentage difference in the consumption ≥5 of ultra-processed subgroups, being 30.4% (p = 0.014) and 53.7% (p = 0.014), respectively.
Conclusions:
The study indicated an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the Brazilian Amazon region during and after social distancing.
