Sex differences in the relationship between food insecurity and weight status in Brazil

Abstract

Obesity and undernutrition are manifestations of malnutrition that affect many people worldwide. A lack of access to food may explain the association of food insecurity (FI) with both undernutrition and obesity, but there are other factors that are specifically related to obesity. Studies have also found that FI is related to both overweight and obesity among women but not among men. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between FI and weight status among adults from a nationally representative sample of Brazil and to consider the impacts of sex. Data from the 2017/2018 Household Budget Survey (n=28,112), a national cross-sectional study, were analyzed using the Brazilian Household FI Scale (EBIA) and body mass index (BMI; measured in kg/m2) by individual self-reported weight and height. Associations were estimated by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) considering a multinomial logistic regression model. Women with severe FI were more than twice (OR=2.36) as likely to be underweight and had a higher frequency of obesity (OR=1.39). Among men, severe FI status was a protective factor for overweight (OR=0.58) and obesity (OR=0.61). In conclusion, FI was a risk factor for underweight and obesity among women but not among men.

Food insecurity as a risk factor of sarcopenic obesity in older adults

“…In particular, the association between food insecurity and obesity has shown mixed findings by age and gender. This association appears not to be present in older men even though food insecurity and obesity coexist among low-income, older women due to differences in household income, educational attainment, and social networks (73)(74)(75)(76)(77).…”

Exploratory analysis of the association between stature, obesity, and food insecurity in adults of the National Dietary Survey 2017-2018

“…The analyses describe the population on sociodemographic characteristics, including information about self-reported sex (men; woman), age (20-29.9; 30-39.9; 40-49.9; 50-59.9), years of schooling (≤4, 5-8, ≥9) and geographical region (North, Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest). These variables were selected and categorized based on a previous study using the same study population, which observed a significant relationship between education level and place of residence (geographical region and place of households) with overweight [3] and food intake [25].…”

“…In Brazil, data from the last National Health Survey showed the presence of high rates of obesity in the adult population (25.9%), with a higher prevalence of obesity among women (29,5%) than among men (21.8%) [1]. Additionally, studies demonstrate the increase of overweight and obesity in low-income populations [2], and among those living in household with Food Insecurity (FI) in Brazil [3,4].…”