(In)egurança alimentar/nutricional e disponibilidade intrafamiliar de alimentos em tempos de COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and nutritional (in)security and intra-household food availability in Brazil. Methodology: Conducted through a websurvey approach from October 2021 to April 2022, this study used the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale to measure food insecurity. The assessment of intra-family food availability was carried out using a questionnaire that investigated the household frequency of food groups in the last seven days. Several domains, covering social, economic and nutritional aspects, were incorporated into the analysis. Statistical analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, as well as the Mann-Whitney test to evaluate discrepancies between quantitative values in relation to the binary classification of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, and Fisher's exact test for the association between qualitative variables. Results: the prevalence of food insecurity was identified in 46.6% of the 671 participants. Individuals in this condition reported a reduction in the availability of food, especially those classified as healthy. A statistically significant correlation (p <0.05) was observed between food insecurity and socioeconomic factors, such as lower education, job loss and/or reduced income during the pandemic, in addition to lower intra-family availability of healthy foods. Conclusion: the rates of food insecurity and intra-household food shortages, elucidated in this study, probably reflect the decrease in income and purchasing power of Brazilian individuals, a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.