Segurança alimentar e nutricional de famílias com crianças menores de 5 anos de idade atendidas na Estratégia Saúde da Família

Abstract

Introduction: Access to food should be considered a human right to be promoted through public policies that focus on food and nutritional security with priority in the most vulnerable, such as children under 5 years of age. Violation of this right, as an important structural problem of society, threatens the health and nutrition conditions of the population. In addition, it may jeopardize the advances related to the sustainable development objectives, of which Brazil is a signator. Objectives: To evaluate food and nutritional security and its association with household determinants in families living in municipalities in the State of Paraíba. Methods: It is a cross-sectional study carried out with families with children aged 0-59 months living in municipalities in the State of Paraíba, assisted by the Family Health Strategy. The study comprised two different research scenarios, with samples of 406 and 469 children, respectively. Variables related to sociodemographic profile, social support and maternal and child care were investigated. For the evaluation of the food and nutritional security of the families, the Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity was used. We analyzed information related to household determinants of moderate/severe food insecurity through Decision Tree. Results: In scenario 1, food and nutritional insecurity reached 71.4% of the families. Moderate/severe food insecurity (32%) was associated, first, with the benefit of the Programa Bolsa Família, in addition to the family consisting of children under 2 years of age, the lowest socioeconomic level and family dysfunction. In scenario 2, food and nutritional insecurity reached 74.2% of families, of which 17.5% were moderate/severe food insecurity. The variable that most interfered in moderate/severe food insecurity was the worst socioeconomic situation. Failure to supplement with iron/folic acid during pregnancy and to be beneficiaries of the Programa Bolsa Família also represented exposures associated with the outcome. Conclusions: The expressive prevalence of moderate/severe food and nutritional insecurity observed in the present study suggests the importance of interventions aimed at improving the Programa Bolsa Família, in the conditions of households with children under 2 years of age, in the socioeconomic situation of the families, in social support networks and nutritional care during pregnancy.