Name: ARIADINA GALDINO DOS SANTOS
Publication date: 24/03/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| JOSÉ LUCAS SOUZA RAMOS | Examinador Externo |
| LUIZ CARLOS DE ABREU | Presidente |
| TAMIRES DOS SANTOS VIEIRA | Coorientador |
| WEVERTON PEREIRA DE MEDEIROS | Examinador Interno |
Summary: Introduction: depression has a high global prevalence and significantly impacts
quality of life. Evidence suggests that lifestyle factors, including dietary patterns,
alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical inactivity, play an important role in its
development. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated
with adverse mental health outcomes. Data from VIGITEL 2023 provide an important
opportunity to investigate the relationship between the consumption of these
beverages and the diagnosis of depression among young adults. Objective: to
analyze the association between self-reported medical diagnosis of depression and
sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Brazilian young adults using data
from VIGITEL 2023. Method: this is a population-based cross-sectional study using
data from VIGITEL 2023. The study population consisted of 3,373 young adults living
in Brazilian state capitals. Prevalence estimates and respective 95% confidence
intervals were calculated. Bivariate associations were investigated using the chi
square test with a significance level of 5%, while adjusted associations were evaluated
using Poisson regression with robust variance, considering the complex sampling
design. The adjusted analysis included four Poisson regression models. Results: the
prevalence of self-reported medical diagnosis of depression among young adults was
10.4% (95% CI: 8.60–12.55). A high frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage
consumption was observed, with 36.7% reporting soft drink consumption in the
previous 24 hours and 20.6% consuming soft drinks on five or more days per week. In
the adjusted Poisson regression model, female sex (PR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.28–3.06),
obesity (PR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.10–2.35), smoking (PR = 2.82; 95% CI: 1.76–4.50), and
alcohol consumption (PR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.13–2.64) were significantly associated with
the diagnosis of depression. No statistically significant associations were observed
between markers of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and the outcome.
Conclusion: a high frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was
observed among young adults, with no significant association with self-reported
medical diagnosis of depression. In contrast, female sex, obesity, smoking, and alcohol
consumption were associated with the outcome, highlighting the relevance of
sociodemographic and behavioral factors in the epidemiological profile of depression
in this population.
