[Meat consumption by adults in southern Brazil: a population-based study].

This paper is the result of a cross-sectional population-based study that evaluated individuals aged 20 or more living in the urban area of Pelotas in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and sought to describe the frequency of meat consumption and the habit of eating meat with an excess of fat. It evaluated the consumption over the past year of red meat (including bone, steak and ground beef), white meats (chicken and fish) and viscera and processed meats. Of the 2,730 people interviewed, 99.1% (CI95% 98.7 - 99.5) consumed some type of meat over the past year, while around 32% reported daily consumption. The prevalence of consumption of red meat (99.3% CI95% 98.9 - 99.6) and white meat (99.4% CI95% 99.1 - 99.7) was similar. Chicken was the meat most consumed by interviewees (98.0% CI95% 97.4 - 98.5), while viscera were the least consumed (59.1% CI95% 56.4 - 61.7). The processed meats consumed by 85.5% (CI95% 83.7 - 87.2) of the respondents, presented the highest prevalence of daily consumption (16.6%). Meats with excess of fat were consumed by 52.3% (CI95% 49.8 - 54.8) of adults, especially men and people of lower education and economic status.