Objective To evaluate the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and food insecurity in quilombola communities in Brazil. Methods Microdata from the 2011 Quilombola Census “Assessment of the food and nutritional security situation in titled quilombola communities” were evaluated. The Brazilian household food insecurity measurement scale was used to evaluate household food insecurity status. Multinomial regression models were used to test the association between sociodemographic characteristics and food insecurity. Results The prevalence of food insecurity was 86.1% (mild: 30.2%; moderate/severe: 55.9%). In the final adjusted model, the factors significantly associated with moderate/severe food insecurity (p-value<0.001) were: head of household being single or divorced, head of household with 1-7 years of schooling, a larger domicile size, households with children under 5 years of age, precarious sanitation, a household income of less than the minimum wage, and being from a quilombola communities in the North of the country. Conclusion The results indicated that the prevalence of food insecurity among quilombola households is high, requiring the implementation of public policies to promote food and nutritional security and to mitigate the historical social injustices suffered by this population.

Objective: To assess access to government programs and their association with food insecurity in families from quilombolas communities in Brazil. Design: An analysis of secondary data from the 2011 Quilombolas Census was performed in Brazilian territories. The Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Measurement Scale (Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar, EBIA) was used to assess the household food insecurity status. The relationships of governmental programs with the levels of food insecurity were estimated using logistic regression models. Setting: Greater national survey census of food and nutritional security of the recognized Quilombolas Brazilian territories. Participants: 8,743 quilombolas families. Results: The prevalence of household food insecurity was 86.1% (moderate/severe food insecurity: 55.9%, 95% CI: 54.8-56.9). After adjustment for sociodemographic variables, access to rural development programs (Food Acquisition Program: OR: 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.8, p-value <0.01) and health programs (Center for Family Health Support: OR: 0.5, 95% CI 0.5-0.7, p-value <0.001) were inversely and significantly associated with moderate/severe food insecurity. The Brazilian conditional cash transfer program (Bolsa Família) was associated with quilombolas families with moderate/severe levels of food insecurity (OR: 3.3, 95% CI 2.8-4.0, p-value <0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of food insecurity was high among quilombolas families. Despite reduced participation in governmental programs, rural development, agriculture and conditional cash transfer programs are fundamental to the autonomy of quilombolas communities. In spite the low participation, when families are able to access these programs, the study revealed the importance of these initiatives in reducing the likelihood of severe levels of food insecurity.

This study aims to analyze the association between social indicators and the worsening of food insecurity in 2013 and 2018 in different regions of Brazil. Data from the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (2013) and Brazilian Household Budgets Survey (2018) were analyzed, considering nationally representative samples of 110,750 and 57,920 households, respectively. Food insecurity was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale by estimating the percentage changes in food insecurity levels between 2013 and 2018, according to sociodemographic variables. The association between social indicators and food insecurity disaggregated by region was estimated using multinomial logistic regression models. Although North and Northeast regions had higher proportions of food insecurity, the Southeast and Central-West regions had the highest increase in food insecurity in the same periods. Income was the indicator with the highest association with food insecurity both in 2013 and 2018. We also observed the association between the presence of three or more residents aged under 18 in a household and a higher risk of food insecurity in North and South regions. Food insecurity increased unevenly among regions during the Brazilian economic crisis, which reinforced regional inequality. Moreover, food insecurity was greater among households with worse social and economic living conditions, contributing to social inequality in the country. Thus, strengthening public policies to promote food security and nutrition according to regional social inequities is necessary.

Objective: To prospectively analyze changes in the frequency of individual food consumption of adults/elderly people according to different food insecurity outcomes over time. Methods: Population-based longitudinal study carried out in 2011 (358 individuals) and 2014 (301 individuals) in a municipality in the northeastern semi-arid region. The frequency of food consumption of 37 foods in adults/elderly was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire and food insecurity using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Differences in the proportion of frequency of consumption of each food at baseline (2011) and follow-up (2014) were calculated according to longitudinal categories of change in food insecurity. The McNemar test for paired samples was applied to estimate differences between 2011 and 2014. Results: Among the individuals studied, 38.9% and 30.6% were classified in food security and food insecurity in the two periods (2011 and 2014), respectively, and 23.2% changed from food insecurity in 2011 to food security in 2014. Increase in the frequency of food consumed in the three groups of food insecurity outcomes. Only in the food insecurity group at both times, an increase in the consumption frequency of soft drinks and industrialized juices was observed. In the three groups, when comparing 2011 and 2014, there was an increase in the consumption of local agricultural foods, such as mangoes, sweet potatoes and a decrease in the consumption of pumpkin. Conclusion: Overcoming food insecurity results in positive changes in food consumption, and seasonality is a factor that promotes and limits food consumption.

Background: The older population in Brazil is associated with the presence of food security. However, there is evidence that some food insecurity persistence in households headed by older people, especially at the most severe levels, and has a possible relationship with social inequality. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence and factors associated with moderate/severe food insecurity in households headed by older people. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a national representation of older adults aged ≥ 60 years was conducted using data from the 2017/2018 Family Budget Survey. In the study, moderate/severe food insecurity was the dependent variable, with food insecurity measured using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Prevalence and odds ratio estimates were generated with 99% confidence intervals. Data analysis was performed using STATA software. Findings: A total of 16,314 households headed by older people were identified. Approximately 10.2% of these households were in the moderate/severe range for food insecurity, with most headed by older people, primarily female (11.9%), self-declared indigenous people (25.5%), lack of schooling (18.3%) and with a per capita income of up to 1/2 minimum wage (29.6%). The analysis model found that color/race, region, schooling, per capita household income, and social benefits received in the household were statistically significant factors (p value <0.01). Conclusion:Moderate/severe food insecurity in households headed by older people is associated with the marked social inequalities present in Brazil. Intensifying the need for a different view of this age group.