Do adults and older people follow current guidelines for milk consumption?

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of frequent milk consumption (≥five times/week), the consumption of low-fat/skimmed milk and associated factors in adults and older people, evaluating adherence to current Brazilian guideline.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study involving the analysis of data from the 2015 Campinas Food Intake and Nutritional Status and 2015 Campinas Health Survey. The prevalence of milk consumption was analysed according to socio-economic characteristics, morbidities and health-related behaviours.

Setting: City of Campinas, state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Participants: A sample of 1710 participants of the 2015 Campinas Nutritional and Health Surveys.

Results: A total of 73·8 % of the population consumed milk, but the prevalence of frequent consumption was only 44·0 %. Frequent milk consumption was higher among women, older people and individuals with better diet quality. A total of 18·4 % of the individuals who consumed milk reported consuming low-fat/skimmed milk; this prevalence was higher among women, individuals with a higher socio-economic status, those with better diet quality and those with chronic diseases.

Conclusion: Despite the high nutritional quality of milk and the different types available on the market, adults and older people do not follow current recommendations regarding its consumption. Information on the nutritional quality of milk and current recommendations should be disseminated more at healthcare services.