Estilo de vida, desigualdade e estado nutricional: evidências sobre adolescentes do ensino médio em contexto escolar

Abstract

The nutritional status of high school adolescents is one of the main indicators of public health and human development, reflecting conditions of diet, income, education, and lifestyle. This study aimed to analyze, through a narrative review, recent scientific evidence on the nutritional status of schoolchildren, considering publications from 2021 to 2025. Thirty-six scientific articles from different sociocultural contexts were included, addressing determining factors, eating habits, physical activity practice, social vulnerability, and school health policies. The results revealed a global trend of nutritional transition, characterized by a reduction in undernutrition and a significant increase in overweight and obesity among adolescents, both in developed countries and low- and middle-income regions. It was observed that high consumption of ultraprocessed foods, physical inactivity, poor diet quality, and socioeconomic inequalities are the main factors associated with nutritional imbalance. Conversely, school programs that integrate food education, balanced nutrition, and encouragement of regular physical activity showed a positive impact on body composition and the physical fitness of students. It is concluded that the nutritional status of schoolchildren is influenced by multiple determinants and requires continuous intersectoral actions to promote health, food education, and encouragement of sports practice. The school environment is configured as a strategic space for multiprofessional interventions that favor the physical, cognitive, and social development of adolescents.