HÁBITOS ALIMENTARES: um estudo com adolescentes de uma Escola Pública no sertão de Alagoas

Adolescence is a complex phase marked by the transition between childhood and adulthood.At this stage, teenagers need to consume large quantities of food due to the top of theirphysical and cognitive development. It is therefore necessary to raise awareness about healthyeating for a better quality of life. In this context, the aim of this study was to find out aboutthe factors that influence adolescents' eating habits, as well as to investigate their eatingpractices. A number of methodological procedures were used to instrumentalize this research,with a view to achieving the proposed objective. That said, a qualitative and quantitativestudy was adopted. The aim was to understand the eating habits adopted by adolescents andthe associated factors. It was concluded that family influence was associated with adolescents'healthy eating habits; on the other hand, when they eat their meals without family presence,adolescents tend to eat unhealthy foods. Ease of access was a determining factor inadolescents' choice of food, most of which is unhealthy and not very nutritious, and the mediaand friends were also importante factors in food choice. In addition, the research showed thatthe consumption of fried and ultra-processed foods is widely included in the participants'diets. This research contributes to verifying the need to implement healthy eating measureswith the aim of improving the intake of foods that are beneficial to health, and thus reducingthe consumption of foods that are harmful to adolescents' health.