| Resumo: | Introduction: To investigate the factors that influence dietary choices, particularly during adolescence, as these choices have a significant impact on health and tend to persist into adulthood. Objective: To identify and characterize the factors perceived by the adolescents as determinants of food choices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two schools, based on a sample of 358 adolescents. From a quantitative approach, we moved to a qualitative approach. The quantitative study was used: EHA (eating habits scale), IPAQ (international physical activity questionnaire), TAA-25 (eating attitudes test), and the GSQ (general self-efficacy questionnaire). For the qualitative study, we selected subgroups with healthier and less healthy eating habits for a grounded theory approach, using semi-structured interviews and coding according to Charmaz’s method. Results: The determining factors that were more often mentioned (in decreasing order) were family influence, taste preferences, family habits, healthy eating rules, and availability. The ones that were mentioned by a bigger number of adolescents were family influence and family habits, risk perception, knowledge of healthy eating, and preferences. Other factors are mentioned, such as self-control, feeling well or bad, peer influence, feeling hungry or full, developing a task or not, impulsiveness, time available, humor/stress, and cost. Some factors take different perspectives in each group. Conclusion: Family must be considered as an integral part of the interventions that are related to health education. Administrative measures, taken by schools and government agents, can make healthy choices easier, modulating the effect that determining factors such as available time and availability may have. |
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