Objective: To analyse changes and predictors of change in self-reported food intake among Brazilian families that benefitted from conditional cash transfer (CCT) implemented in the Programa Bolsa Família of the Brazilian Federal Government. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Setting: The study was conducted from September to October 2007 in a nationwide representative household sample of families included in the CCT. Socioeconomic variables, perception of food consumption and food insecurity were evaluated via questionnaire, which was completed during face-to-face interviews. Subjects: Five thousand households were selected from the CCT registry. Results: Families reported increased consumption of all food groups analysed, mainly cereals, processed foods, meat, milk and dairy, beans and sugar. The degree of dependence on income from the CCT was positively associated with increased self-reported intake of food items such as sugar and soft drinks. A Poisson regression revealed that the fourth quartile of CCT dependence demonstrated a twofold increase in the self-reported intake of soft drinks (relative risk (RR) 5 2?3, 95 % CI 1?8, 2?9) and sugar (RR 5 2?5, 95 % CI 2?1, 3?1) compared with the first quartile of CCT dependence. Conclusions: Greater purchasing power of poor families increases unhealthy food choices; thus public policies should emphasise the availability of healthy food.

Introduction: The relationships between the social indicators (SIs) that determine food insecurity (FI) have not been described yet. This systematic review aims to identify which SIs are associated with FI in Brazilian households and how these relationships are explained. Methods: The research protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO - CRD42018106527). Three independent researchers performed the search in the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) and National Library of Medicine (PubMed) databases (June/2018). The study included articles that used the Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Measurement Scale (Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar - EBIA) to assess FI and that evaluated the association between SIs and FI. Results: We included 18 articles in this review. The Kappa concordance index between the researchers was 0.72 (95%CI 0.42 - 1.00). Most articles were cross-sectional and used multivariate regression for the statistical analysis. At least one income-related SI had a significant association with FI, and, in most studies, they presented the highest values of association measures. We organized the authors’ explanation about the relationships between SIs and FI in a conceptual model. The study identified three possible justifications for the association between SIs and FI: direct relationship, relationship mediated by income, or relationship mediated by another SI and income. Conclusion: Income assumed a central role in the mediation between several SIs and FI. However, the analysis methods of the studies did not allow us to investigate this mediation. Therefore, improving data analysis to isolate and understand the effect of SIs on FI is still necessary.

Background The Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Measurement Scale (EBIA) is the main tool for assessing household food insecurity (FI) in Brazil and facilitates the monitoring and improvement of national public policies to promote food security. Since 2004, the Brazilian government has conducted National Household Sample Surveys, and in 2018, the government carried out the last national evaluation of FI. Objective To describe trends in severe FI in Brazil from 2004 to 2018. Methods Data from three cross-sectional Brazilian National Household Sample Surveys (sample sizes: 2004 = 112,530; 2009 = 120,910; 2013 = 116,196) and from the last Household Budget Survey (sample size = 57,920) that assessed the status of FI using the EBIA were analyzed. Changes in severe FI during two periods (2004-2013; 2013-2018) were estimated while considering sociodemographic factors. Results The period between 2004 and 2013 was marked by a significant decrease in severe FI (–53.6%), but this trend reversed in 2013-2018 (+43.8%). The greatest decrease in severe FI occurred in the Northeast (–57.6%) among households where the reference person was a man (–57.6%) and self-identified as white (–58.1%) (2004-2013). In 2013–2018, households with children ≤4 years (+6.3%) and members ≥65 years of age (+12.5%) experienced the lowest increases in severe FI. Conclusions After a significant reduction from 2004 to 2013, severe FI increased sharply from 2013 to 2018, likely due to disruptions in public policies aimed at reducing hunger and unemployment rates.

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