Food security status in times of financial and political crisis in Brazil

Abstract

This study sought to describe the changes in the food security status in Brazil before and during its most recent financial and political crisis, as well as to explore associations between food security and socioeconomic factors during the crisis. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from two different sources: the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey for 2004 (n = 112,479), 2009 (n = 120,910), and 2013 (n = 116,192); and the Gallup World Poll for 2015 (n = 1,004), 2016 (n = 1,002), and 2017 (n = 1,001). Household food security status was measured by a shorter version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, consisting of the first 8 questions of the original 14-item scale. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the changes in food security and their association with socioeconomic factors. Results suggest that during the crisis the percentage of households classified as food secure declined by one third (76% in 2013 to 49% in 2017) while severe food insecurity tripled (4% in 2013 to 12% in 2017). Whereas before the crisis (2013) 44% of the poorest households were food secure, by 2017 this decreased to 26%. Household income per capita was strongly associated with food security, increasing by six times the chances of being food insecure among the poorest strata. Those who reported a low job climate, social support or level of education were twice as likely to be food insecure. Despite significant improvements between 2004 and 2013, findings indicate that during the crisis Brazil suffered from a great deterioration of food security, highlighting the need for emergency policies to protect and guarantee access to food for the most vulnerable.

Stunting and overweight among children in Northeast Brazil: prevalence, trends (1992-2005-2015) and associated risk factors from repeated cross-sectional surveys

“…The anticipated achievement of this goal was published in 2010 by the Ministry of Health, attributing it to improved household socioeconomic conditions and access to essential public services, despite regional inequalities [33]. In this aspect, Souza et al [34] report that:…”

“…Considering the influence of social, economic and political determinants on the children's nutritional status [45], it is evident the importance of the results published herein to establish a baseline to be used as a parameter in future evaluations, especially because of the current scenario of political transition experienced in Brazil [34,46]. The stunting at a global level, after years of decline, increased from 2015 to 2016 due to the economic and political crises that have been occurring in many developing countries.…”

Food Insecurity Increases in Brazil from 2004 to 2018: Analysis of national surveys

“…However, this does not imply that there were no families living with hunger in the better off regions of Brazil. According to the 2018 data, in the South and Southeast regions, more than 1.3 million households, corresponding to approximately 5 million people, endured severely restricted access to food (37) .…”

Desigualdade E Crise Econômica: A Fome Novamente Batendo a Nossa Porta

“…O avanço nessa área ocasionada pela expansão e qualificação das políticas públicas em alimentação e nutrição fizeram com que saíssemos do mapa da fome, trazendo reconhecimento mundial por tal vitória, mas apesar dessa conquista, permanecer em segurança alimentar em meio à crise subsequente foi impossível, devido aos processos de ruptura institucionais 5. Invariavelmente, como declínio econômico está associado ao acesso restrito aos alimentos, as análises sugerem que a crise de forma significativa diminuiu a segurança alimentar e aumentou a fome nos domicílios brasileiros. Antes da crise os mais pobres eram mais seguros, enquanto em 2017, esse mesmo estrato econômico tinha seis vezes mais chance de estar em insegurança alimentar 4 .…”