COVID-19, Food Insecurity and Malnutrition: A Multiple Burden for Brazil

Silva, Rita de Cássia Ribeiro; Pereira, Marcos; Aragão, Érika; Guimarães, Jane Mary de Medeiros; Ferreira, Antônio G. P.; Rocha, Aline dos Santos; Silva, Natanael de Jesus; Teixeira, Camila Silveira Silva; Falcão, Ila Rocha; Paixão, Enny S.; Barreto, Maurício Lima

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.751715

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Compared with 2019, approximately 14 million more people in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by hunger in 2020 ( https://data.unicef.org/resources/sofi-2021/ ). Over one-third of households in Brazil already experienced some degree of food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic [ 40 ] and this proportion is estimated to have increased to 55% in 2020 ( http://olheparaafome.com.br/VIGISAN_Inseguranca_alimentar.pdf ), due to the reduced economic activity and increased food prices during the pandemic [ 38 – 41 ]. Importantly, the economic crisis aggravated by the pandemic has led families to rely on cheaper foods, most of which ultra-processed products that are rich in sugar, sodium, and fat but lack essential nutrients [ 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over one-third of households in Brazil already experienced some degree of food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic [ 40 ] and this proportion is estimated to have increased to 55% in 2020 ( http://olheparaafome.com.br/VIGISAN_Inseguranca_alimentar.pdf ), due to the reduced economic activity and increased food prices during the pandemic [ 38 – 41 ]. Importantly, the economic crisis aggravated by the pandemic has led families to rely on cheaper foods, most of which ultra-processed products that are rich in sugar, sodium, and fat but lack essential nutrients [ 40 ]. Strategies to mitigate poverty and food insecurity are urgently needed in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic [ 36 , 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, the economic crisis aggravated by the pandemic has led families to rely on cheaper foods, most of which ultra-processed products that are rich in sugar, sodium, and fat but lack essential nutrients [ 40 ]. Strategies to mitigate poverty and food insecurity are urgently needed in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic [ 36 , 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 among 5 years-old Amazonian children and their association with poverty and food insecurity

et al. 2022

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Background The epidemiology of childhood SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related illness remains little studied in high-transmission tropical settings, partly due to the less severe clinical manifestations typically developed by children and the limited availability of diagnostic tests. To address this knowledge gap, we investigate the prevalence and predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection (either symptomatic or not) and disease in 5 years-old Amazonian children. Methodology/Principal findings We retrospectively estimated SARS-CoV-2 attack rates and the proportion of infections leading to COVID-19-related illness among 660 participants in a population-based birth cohort study in the Juruá Valley, Amazonian Brazil. Children were physically examined, tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies, and had a comprehensive health questionnaire administered during a follow-up visit at the age of 5 years carried out in January or June-July 2021. We found serological evidence of past SARS-CoV-2 infection in 297 (45.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 41.2–48.9%) of 660 cohort participants, but only 15 (5.1%; 95% CI, 2.9–8.2%) seropositive children had a prior medical diagnosis of COVID-19 reported by their mothers or guardians. The period prevalence of clinically apparent COVID-19, defined as the presence of specific antibodies plus one or more clinical symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (cough, shortness of breath, and loss of taste or smell) reported by their mothers or guardians since the pandemic onset, was estimated at 7.3% (95% CI, 5.4–9.5%). Importantly, children from the poorest households and those with less educated mothers were significantly more likely to be seropositive, after controlling for potential confounders by mixed-effects multiple Poisson regression analysis. Likewise, the period prevalence of COVID-19 was 1.8-fold (95%, CI 1.2–2.6-fold) higher among cohort participants exposed to food insecurity and 3.0-fold (95% CI, 2.8–3.5-fold) higher among those born to non-White mothers. Finally, children exposed to household and family contacts who had COVID-19 were at an increased risk of being SARS-CoV-2 seropositive and–even more markedly–of having had clinically apparent COVID-19 by the age of 5 years. Conclusions/Significance Childhood SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-associated illness are substantially underdiagnosed and underreported in the Amazon. Children in the most socioeconomically vulnerable households are disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 among 5 years-old Amazonian children and their association with poverty and food insecurity

et al. 2022

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“…El distanciamiento social, el autoaislamiento y las restricciones de movilidad dentro y entre países provocaron una reducción de la mano de obra en todos los sectores económicos y muchos puestos de trabajo se perdieron (Nicola et al, 2020). Sumado a ello, distintos informes dan cuenta que, no solo en los países en vías de desarrollo sino también en los desarrollados, la pandemia incrementó la inseguridad alimentaria, especialmente en aquellas poblaciones socioeconómicamente vulnerables (Cordero y Cesani, 2020, 2021Dondi et al, 2021;Lauren et al, 2021;Ribeiro-Silva et al, 2021;Schanzenbach y Pitts, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Desigualdad territorial de la inseguridad alimentaria en hogares con niños, niñas y adolescentes de Tucumán (Argentina) en los primeros meses de la pandemia por COVID-19

Cordero

Cesani

2022

RevArgAntropBiol

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La pandemia por COVID-19 constituye un evento de orden macrosocial que agudiza las desigualdades en el territorio. El presente estudio tiene por objetivo avanzar en el conocimiento de la seguridad alimentaria en la provincia de Tucumán durante los primeros meses de la pandemia, mediante la descripción de la magnitud y distribución de la inseguridad alimentaria a nivel departamental y el análisis particular de aquellos hogares en donde residen niños, niñas y adolescentes. Se efectuó un estudio cuantitativo y transverso mediante la administración de un cuestionario digital. Se trabajó con la Escala Latinoamericana y Caribeña para la medición de la Seguridad Alimentaria, que distinguió los hogares con seguridad o inseguridad alimentaria (leve, moderada, severa). Se obtuvo información de 3915 hogares. Se calcularon prevalencias de inseguridad alimentaria a nivel departamental y de acuerdo a la presencia o ausencia de menores de edad en el hogar. Además, se desarrollaron indicadores espaciales y cartografía temática y se analizaron datos censales. Se efectuaron comparaciones considerando la presencia de menores en el hogar (pruebas de chi cuadrado). Los resultados evidenciaron que, durante los primeros meses de pandemia, la inseguridad alimentaria se manifestó con marcadas diferencias socio-espaciales. Los hogares más afectados fueron aquellos donde residieron niños, niñas y adolescentes. El análisis a escala departamental confirma dicha tendencia y revela áreas críticas de inseguridad alimentaria y percepción de hambre asociadas a condiciones de desigualdad persistente. Los resultados y los desarrollos cartográficos obtenidos aportan evidencia sobre la vulnerabilidad de las poblaciones infantiles en el contexto de pandemia.

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“…Limited financial resources and economic breakdown experienced by many families contributed to the increase in the rates of food insecurity, due to the lack of consistent physical, social, and economic access to adequate and nutritious food meeting dietary needs and food preferences (5). This collapse in food security can lead to serious public health consequences (6,7) including poor diet quality (8,9) and malnutrition (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Inequities in a Psychological Domain of Food Insecurity Among Mothers From Southern Brazil During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Martins‐Silva

Carpena

Blumenberg

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We aimed to investigate the social inequalities in the fear of not having enough food for the household, a psychological domain of food insecurity, during the COVID-19 pandemic among mothers from the 2019 Rio Grande birth cohort. In 2019 we invited all mothers who gave birth to a singleton liveborn in the municipality of Rio Grande (southern Brazil) to respond to a standardized questionnaire. In 2020, we followed these mothers twice. In wave I we located 1,077 of all eligible mothers and 1,033 in wave II (follow-up rate of 52.1% and 50.4%). We estimated the absolute and relative inequalities of food insecurity according to the number of people living in the household, maternal education, family income, and income change during the pandemic using the slope index of inequalities (SII) and the concentration index (CIX), respectively. 1,021 mothers reported having food insecurity, and the prevalence was 42.8% and 44.7% for waves I and II, respectively. In wave I we observed inequities in the distribution of food insecurity, being higher among mothers living with ≥3 people (SII:-17.3; 95%CI[-29.6;-5.0]), with a lower education (SII:-36.7; 95%CI[-47.0;-26.4]), lower income (SII-48.9; 95%CI[-58.0;-39.7]), and with an income that decreased during the pandemic (SII:-47.1; 95%CI[-57.3;-36.9]). These inequities widened from wave I to wave II. This study describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and family food insecurity and the increased social disparities during the pandemic, especially among the most vulnerable populations.

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COVID-19, Food Insecurity and Malnutrition: A Multiple Burden for Brazil

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 among 5 years-old Amazonian children and their association with poverty and food insecurity

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 among 5 years-old Amazonian children and their association with poverty and food insecurity

Desigualdad territorial de la inseguridad alimentaria en hogares con niños, niñas y adolescentes de Tucumán (Argentina) en los primeros meses de la pandemia por COVID-19

Social Inequities in a Psychological Domain of Food Insecurity Among Mothers From Southern Brazil During the Covid-19 Pandemic

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