Consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric indicators in adolescents, adults, and the elderly in a capital city in northeastern Brazil

Objective To evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods and associate it with anthropometric indicators in adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Methods Cross-sectional, domiciliary, population-based study, comprising adolescents aged 10-19 years, adults aged 20-59 years, and elderly people aged 60 or older, residents of the urban area of the city of Teresina, Piaui. Demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, food consumption, and anthropometric data were collected. The analysis of variance test was used along with the Bonferroni post-hoc test and crude and adjusted linear regression with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The level of significance adopted was 5%. Results There was no significant association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric variables in adults and the elderly. However, among adolescents, the results showed an inverse association, thus signaling a reduction in anthropometric indicators as the consumption of ultra-processed foods increases. Conclusion There was no association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric indicators in adults and the elderly; however, among adolescents, the results showed an inverse association, which encourages the development of new studies, especially longitudinal ones.