Food and nutrition insecurity: a marker of vulnerability to asthma symptoms

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between food and nutrition insecurity and asthma in children from Latin America. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: São Francisco do Conde, Bahia, north-eastern Brazil. Subjects: The study included 1307 children aged 6-12 years from public elementary schools. Asthma symptoms were collected using a questionnaire that was translated and adapted from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, phase III. The diagnosis of asthma was determined based on reports of wheezing in the previous 12 months. The Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale was used to identify food insecurity. We also obtained demographic, socio-economic and anthropometric information for each participant. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the associations of interest. Results: Of the children surveyed, 10?4 % had a history of wheezing and 64?5 % had some degree of food and nutrition insecurity. We found a positive dose-response relationship and statistically significant associations of asthma with moderate (OR 5 1?71, 95 % CI 1?01, 2?89) and severe (OR 5 2?51, 95 % CI 1?28, 4?93) food and nutrition insecurity. Conclusions: The results show that moderate and severe food and nutrition insecurity are markers of vulnerability to wheezing. It is important to note that the results of studies in this field have potential implications for social policies that promote food security. Further studies to identify the mechanisms involved in the relationship between food and nutrition insecurity and asthma are needed.

Sex and Race/Ethnic Disparities in Food Security and Chronic Diseases in U.S. Older Adults

“…For this sample of older, urban women, pulmonary disease was not associated with food insecurity (Klesges et al, 2001). Asthma was associated with food insecurity for Latin American children (Ribeiro-Silva Rde et al, 2014). There are no studies, to date, assessing the association of food insecurity and lung diseases by sex and race/ethnicity in older adults.…”

Asthma in the Disadvantaged: A Phenotype in Need of a Personalized, Multidisciplinary Approach to Therapy

“…Intimate partner violence has been shown to increase asthma incidence in affected families [70]. Individuals who experience higher severity of food insecurity develop worse asthma symptoms [71]. Stress related to perceived discrimination has also been shown to affect asthma morbidity in racial and ethnic minorities [72].…”

(In)segurança alimentar entre famílias com crianças menores de cinco anos residentes em área de vulnerabilidade social de Campina Grande, Paraíba

“…Razões de prevalência e respectivos intervalos de confiança (IC95%) também foram estimados para as características das crianças e do contexto socioeconômico familiar, que se mostraram associadas à (in)segurança alimentar na análise bivariada, considerando as categorias extremas de segurança alimentar (segurança alimentar e insegurança alimentar grave lares brasileiras 22,23 e de outros países 19,20 têm apontado associação entre a condição de saúde da criança e a insegurança alimentar familiar. Aqui é necessário lembrar que apesar da perda peso e sinais infecciosos nos últimos 15 dias serem indicadores importantes da situação nutricional das crianças, a avaliação desses fatores pode apresentar distorções, principalmente a perda de peso, por conta da sua subjetividade.…”