Demographic and socioeconomic conditions associated with food insecurity in households in Campinas, SP, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association of food insecurity with demographic and socioeconomic conditions in households in Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on a representative sample of the urban population of the Southern, Southwestern, and Northwestern Health Districts of Campinas, between 2011-2012. Characteristics of the head of household, family history and household patterns were investigated. The dependent variable was food security condition, categorized as food security, mild food insecurity, and moderate/severe food insecurity. All independent variables with p-value <0.20 in the bivariate multinomial logistic regression were included in the final model of multiple multinomial logistic regression, adjusted to household head age; the remaining variables had p-value <0.05. Results: In the 691 households analyzed, there was 65% of food security, 27.9% of mild food insecurity, and 7.1% of moderate/severe food insecurity. The conditions associated with mild food insecurity were monthly per capita income less than the minimum wage, household head unemployed for more than six months between 2004-2010, living in properties given to the family/occupied/other, and density higher than two people per bedroon. The moderate/severe food insecurity was associated with informal employment condition of the household head and the presence of a beneficiary of the Bolsa Família (Family Allowance Program), a cash transfer-type program, in the household. The higher the score of the consumer goods, the lower the probability of mild food insecurity or moderate/severe food insecurity. There was a higher probability of mild food insecurity and moderate/severe food insecurity in unfinished masonry-built houses/other. Conclusion: More than one third of the households investigated experienced some form of food insecurity. Mild food insecurity was associated with demographic conditions, while moderate/severe food insecurity was associated with socioeconomic conditions, especially those related to the household head.

Fatores associados à insegurança alimentar em domicílios da área urbana do estado do Tocantins, Região Norte do Brasil

“…Previous studies have also shown a positive relationship between food insecurity and the low level of schooling of the head of the household 3,11,19,21,22 and the low per capita family income 3,4,11,21,23 , as was also found in this study. It can be said that food insecurity is closely related to income, since its limitations commonly result in restricted access and availability of food.…”

“…The fact that families receiving social assistance benefits from the Bolsa Família Program have a greater chance of food insecurity corroborates the results of other studies 4,19,20,23 , demonstrating that households with beneficiaries are in a situation of greater socioeconomic vulnerability 23 .…”

“…Food insecurity is associated not only with low availability of food, but also with social vulnerability 3 . It is related to the structure of society, the labor market 4 and characteristics such as age, educational level of the head of the family, economic situation, unemployment, race/color and number of residents in the households 5,6 .…”

“…To measure the food insecurity condition of families, since 2004, several studies have used the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) 4,[7][8][9][10][11] , an instrument validated for the Brazilian population based on the adaptation of the North American Food Insecurity Scale 12 and which assesses the perception of individuals in relation to access to food in the household 13 . The application of EBIA allows the assessment of trends and impacts of food insecurity, in addition to identifying the vulnerability of the population's food access condition.…”

(In)segurança alimentar no Brasil no pré e pós pandemia da COVID-19: reflexões e perspectivas

“…Mais recentemente, instituições brasileiras vêm buscando responder às diferentes formas de má nutrição de maneira integrada. Apesar disso, o país continua marcado por iniquidades em saúde e alimentação, cujos impactos negativos são mais sentidos em grupos como crianças, adolescentes, mulheres, beneficiários de programas de transferência de renda (PTR), povos indígenas, quilombolas e, sobretudo, entre os mais pobres e de raça/cor negra [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] .…”