A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Eating Behaviors and Home Food Environmental Factors in Adolescents From São Paulo (Brazil) and Saint Paul-Minneapolis (US)

Objective: Describe cross-cultural differences in nutrition-related factors among adolescents from São Paulo, Brazil and St Paul-Minneapolis, US. Design: Two large-population-based studies with cross-cultural comparisons. Setting: Twelve São Paulo and 10 St Paul-Minneapolis high schools in 2009-2010. Participants: A total of 1,148 adolescents from São Paulo and 1,632 adolescents from St Paul-Minneapolis. Main Outcome Measure(s): Meal consumption, family meals, fast-food consumption, and home food availability. Analysis: Binomial regressions, weighted for age distributions and adjusted for gender, were used to compare identical measures from each sample. Results: Generally, São Paulo adolescents reported healthier nutritional outcomes than St Paul-Minneapolis adolescents. São Paulo adolescents were 7 times less likely to report high fast-food consumption than St Paul-Minneapolis adolescents (P < 001). Whereas most measures of the home environment indicated healthier home environments in São Paulo, more São Paulo adolescents reported that sugar-sweetened beverages were usually available at home than did St Paul-Minneapolis adolescents (P < 001). Conclusions and Implications: São Paulo youth tended to have healthier eating behaviors and home food environment factors than St Paul-Minneapolis youth. Brazilian eating patterns tend to be healthier and support a connection with food and culture. Interventions are needed to encourage youth and their families to maintain these patterns.