Adesão à alimentação escolar e fatores associados em escolas estaduais

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the adherence to school feeding, as well as its associated factors, among students from the ninth grade of public elementary schools in a state located in the Midwest Region. They were evaluated in five state schools self reported adherence, effective adherence, and factors that interfere with adherence to school feeding were assessed using an adapted questionnaire. It was also calculated the adherence to the average school feeding observed during three days. Both self-reported adherence (68.2%) and mean adherence observed (59.2%) were classified in the middle category, and effective adherence (37.4%) in the low category, according to the parameters adopted by the Brazilian National Program School Feeding. About half of the students reported not liking some preparations and the main reason cited was lack of appetite. However, most of them reported buying food at the school canteen. Regarding the associated factors, it was observed that adherence to school feeding was higher among male students. The results of this study point to the need to increase the rate of adherence and to carry out future studies that frequently follow the evolution of adherence to school feeding, seeking to identify the factors that hinder its consumption, in order to establish measures for the Brazilian National School Feeding Program has it objective achieved.