Our study aimed to describe the association between food patterns and gender, parental education, physical activity, sleeping and obesity in 1976 children aged 5−10 years old. Dietary intake was measured by a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire; body mass index was calculated and categorized according to the IOTF classification. Factor analysis and generalized linear models were applied to identify food patterns and their associations. TV viewing and male gender were significant positive predictors for fast-food, sugar sweetened beverages and pastry pattern, while a higher level of maternal education and longer sleeping duration were positively associated with a dietary patterns that included fruit and vegetables.

ObjectiveTo assess the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and overweight in children from a Mediterranean country.DesignThe children’s dietary intake was measured using a semi-quantitative FFQ completed by the parents. Overall, 2512 questionnaires were returned and 837 children were removed, leaving a final sample of 1675 children, aged between 5 and 10 years. Height and weight were measured according to international standards, and BMI was calculated. The definition of overweight and obesity was based on average centiles according to the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. To determine the magnitude of the association between SSB consumption and overweight, OR estimates, including CI, were computed using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for confounders.SettingElementary schools throughout the city of Porto, Portugal.SubjectsWe invited 5867 children, randomly selected, and their parents to participate in the study. Of those schools that agreed to take part, 3391 parents signed and returned the fully filled out consent form.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 36·6 % for girls and 38·8 % for boys. With regard to SSB consumption (serving/d), no differences between with overweight and non-overweight children were found even after adjustment for confounders (1–2 servings/d: OR = 1·67, 95 % CI 0·76, 3·66, in girls; OR = 1·63, 95 % CI 0·76, 3·47, in boys; and >2 servings/d: OR = 0·63, 95 % CI 0·33, 1·22, in girls; OR = 0·64, 95 % CI 0·33, 1·52, in boys).ConclusionsThe intake of SSB was not associated with increased risk of overweight in Portuguese schoolchildren.

Objective: To examine trends in food availability for Portugal during the last 4 decades (1974–2011) and analyze such changes in accordance with the nutritional transition theory. Methods: Food balance sheets from Portugal from 1974 to 2011 were analyzed for potential trends by linear regression to study the availability of protein, fat, carbohydrate, ethanol, and total energy and the availability of the following food groups: (i) cereals and tubers; (ii) vegetables; (iii) fruit; (iv) milk; (v) meat, fish, and eggs; (vi) fat; (vii) pulses; (viii) alcoholic beverages; and (ix) sugar and sweeteners. A comparison regarding protein, fat, and carbohydrate availability and WHO recommendation was also performed. Results: The data suggest that in Portugal food availability and consumption have changed throughout the analyzed period. The national availability of most food groups increased considerably, which also resulted in an increase in daily energy. The consumption of cereals and tubers, pulses, and alcohol diminished during this time. Energy availability increased by 406 kcal/person/day, a result from an increase in protein and fat. Protein availability was in accordance with WHO recommendations during the 4 decades analyzed, whereas carbohydrate have always been below the recommended level and fat has been above the recommended level since the second decade (1984). Conclusion: Portugal has crossed into a nutritional transition over the last 4 decades, revealing characteristics of a pattern of degenerative diseases. The country may experience a new nutritional transition that would involve positive changes of behavior, as observed in other developed countries, driven by community multisectorial strategies.