Influence of federal feeding programs on the anthropometric indicators of nutritional status of adolescents

Abstract

Objective To assess the influence of federal feeding programs on the anthropometric indicators of nutritional status of adolescents from Federal Institutes. Methods Temporal analysis of the anthropometric data of students from the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (n=250), on admission in 2017 (baseline) and after one year, in 2018 (follow-up). Participation in student assistance programs, sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary, and physical activity aspects were evaluated. The Split Plot ANOVA test was used to analyze height-for-age and body mass index-for-age as continuous variables (mean of z-score; variation in the mean of z-score between baseline and follow-up). Prevalence Ratio was used to analyze categorical variables: improvement in height-for-age (increase in z-score value between baseline and follow-up); improvement in body mass index-for-age (change in z-score towards zero between baseline and follow-up). Results There was a reduction in the height-for-age z-score (-0.173 to -0.350; p<0.001; eta=0.195), but this decline was smaller in the participants of both programs (from -0.249 to -0.357) compared to those not assisted by both simultaneously (from -0.149 to -0.345) (p=0.041). The improvement in height-for-age was positively associated with longer daily time spent at school and participation in the food program under the National Student Assistance Program. The improvement in body mass index-for-age was negatively associated with sex and positively with the number of people in the household. Conclusion The concomitant participation in the National School Feeding Program and in the National Student Assistance Program had a positive influence on the linear growth of students in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability.