Comportamento alimentar de adolescentes escolares durante a pandemia de Covid-19 e sua relação com o apoio social.

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought important changes to the population's lifestyle, generating interruption in the way in which the main daily activities of many people were carried out. In adolescence, young people are experiencing a unique moment, marked by the development of physical, emotional, cognitive and social properties, challenges potentiated during the pandemic, due to the suspension of school activities and face-to-face social interactions at this stage of life. Peer influence becomes essential in many contexts during this phase, including the eating behavior of young people, which can consolidate and extend into adulthood. The present study aimed to analyze whether the context of the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the eating behavior of school adolescents, and whether there was a relationship with social support. The study is cross-sectional and has as subjects high school students from a public state school in the city of Cuité - PB. Thirty-one schoolchildren with a mean age of 15.77 participated in the study. The results showed an increase in the number of adolescents with financial difficulties during the pandemic, from 9.7% to 38.7%. This increase had an impact on the food consumption of young people, as well as on their social life. Participants who reported not having the habit of having meals with their friends and guardians during the pandemic had a

higher frequency of consumption of fresh foods and a lower frequency of consumption of ultra- processed foods. On the other hand, those who said they had meals with guardians and friends

during the pandemic showed higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and lower consumption of in natura foods. These changes may be related to the emotional profile of young people and the financial issue. These findings contribute to unraveling the mechanisms by which the impact of the pandemic affects food consumption, highlighting social support. Future studies should address the eating behavior of adolescents, focusing on identifying and implementing strategies to face the crisis with the least possible sequelae.