Estado nutricional, padrões alimentares e satisfação corporal e sua relação com o trabalho entre adolescentes estudantes no Brasil

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by physical, emotional, and social changes, making this group more vulnerable to contexts of family, social, and food insecurity. Child labor is associated with poverty and is, therefore, an indicator of psychosocial vulnerability. In this context, the goal of this research is to compare the prevalence of nutritional status, dietary patterns and body satisfaction among working and non-working adolescent students across different age groups in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the "Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde Escolar (2015) (National School Health Survey, 2015)". No significant difference was found in terms of nutritional status indicators. Dietary patterns with higher nutritional risk and greater body dissatisfaction are more prevalent among adolescents engaged in child labor (under 14 years old). There is a higher prevalence of being very satisfied with body image among adolescents who are between 14 and 15 years old and work. In this context, it was found that adolescents under the age of 14 face significant challenges in their diet and body perception, likely due to the greater physical and emotional burden of early labor. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen integrated public policies to improve adolescent well-being and fight child labor.