Consumption of sugary drinks and body image of adolescents in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The social isolation promoted by the COVID-19 pandemic changed the behavior of the population, especially teenagers who, with the closing of schools, started to stay at home. In this context, the consumption of sugary foods and beverages increased, which may lead to changes in the composition and body image of these young people. This study evaluated the consumption of sugary drinks, body image, and nutritional status of adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a quali-quantitative study, which evaluated 62 students from 13 to 18 years old in the city of Canaã-MG. The consumption of sugary drinks (volume and frequency) was investigated using the dietary recall form, the 9-image silhouette scale for body image, and anthropometric parameters for measuring nutritional status. The results show that most students were eutrophic and reported changing their consumption of types of beverages, frequency, and volume consumed. Natural juice and common soft drinks were the most consumed beverages before and during the pandemic. They also reported a high rate of body dissatisfaction due to thinness, which was reduced during the pandemic. The reason for this dissatisfaction was related to health and aesthetics, with girls exhibiting greater changes in body dissatisfaction between the period before and during the pandemic. Anthropometric parameters confirmed the high rate of body dissatisfaction among students, when compared to their classification by nutritional status. It is concluded that during the pandemic, students changed their consumption of beverages and their perception of their body image.