Consumo de produtos lácteos entre adolescentes de uma escola técnica estadual do município de Cuité - PB.

Abstract

Adolescence is a period marked by intense physical, emotional, and social transformations that increase the body's nutritional demands, particularly regarding calcium—a mineral essential for the formation and maintenance of bone mass. However, studies indicate that adolescents often have insufficient intake of this nutrient due to poor dietary habits, the replacement of dairy products with ultra-processed foods, and socioeconomic factors that hinder access to healthy foods. Given the importance of calcium for proper bone development during this stage of life, this study aimed to analyze the consumption of calcium-rich dairy products among adolescents at a state technical high school in the municipality of Cuité, Paraíba (PB). This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. Data collection took place between March and April 2026, involving 226 students regularly enrolled in the first through third years of high school at a state technical school in Cuité, PB. The sample size was determined using Epi Info software, based on an expected frequency of 50%, a precision of 5%, and a confidence interval exceeding 97%. Two self-administered questionnaires were used: a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ)—adapted from Wasilewski and Poll (2018)—covering milk and dairy products, and a socioeconomic/sociodemographic questionnaire covering variables such as sex, age, school grade, race/ethnicity, place of residence, family composition, parents' or guardians' education level, and family income. Calcium intake was analyzed against Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations, using a reference value of 1,300 mg/day for adolescents. Subsequently, the data were tabulated in Microsoft Excel and organized into tables for analysis. The results showed a predominance of female adolescents (55.7%) aged 15 to 16 (63.27%), who self-identified as mixed-race (*pardos*) (51.33%) and resided in urban areas (93.36%). There was a higher participation rate among first-year high school students (51.77%), most of whom belonged to families with an income of up to two minimum wages. Regarding dairy product consumption, a high proportion of adolescents reported never or almost never consuming whole milk (45.14%), skim milk (77.88%), or semi-skimmed milk (89.78%). Among dairy derivatives, powdered milk showed the highest frequency of weekly consumption (51.33%), followed by mozzarella cheese (57.08%) and table cream (55.75%). Conversely, low habitual consumption was observed for plain yogurt (66.81% never or almost never) and fermented milk (88.44% never or almost never). It is concluded that the adolescents evaluated exhibited low consumption of dairy products—particularly milk—indicating a potential inadequacy in calcium intake. Furthermore, the socioeconomic factors investigated may be linked to dietary habits and access to nutritionally adequate foods, a hypothesis to be considered when interpreting the results.