Rodrigues Erica Costa, Mendonça Raquel de Deus, Camargo Priscila Pena, Meireles Adriana Lúcia
School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Department of Clinical and Social Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Nutrition. 2025 Jul;135:112738. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.112738. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
Food insecurity (FI), associated with inadequate access to food, reflects social inequality. Shifts in sociodemographic factors significantly impact household FI. This study initially hypothesized that the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic would exacerbate socioeconomic challenges, thereby influencing the trends and responses related to FI within the studied population.
This study examines how social and demographic factors associated with FI change in an important population group during a health crisis, identifying vulnerable groups.
This longitudinal study analyzed a random sample of students from public schools in two Brazilian municipalities. Data were collected at 9-month intervals at four time points (T0, T1, T2, and T3) between 2020 and 2022. FI was measured using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (BFIS) and analyzed as a discrete numerical variable (BFIS score -0 to 14 points). Comparisons across time points were analyzed using the paired Wilcoxon test. A generalized linear mixed model assessed the relationship between BFIS score and social and demographic variables over time.
The average BFIS scores declined from 2.9 at T0 to 2.7 at T1; to 2.2 at T2 and T3, with significant differences between T0 and T2/T3 (P < 0.001), and T1 and T2/T3 (P = 0.017). Higher BFIS scores were associated with families earning less than or equal to half the minimum wage Rate Ratio (RR) =4.93 [95% CI: 3.81-6.36], enrolled in social programs RR =1.14 [95% CI: 1.02-3.81], receiving emergency aid RR =1.15 [95% CI: 1.04-1.28] or food baskets RR=1.30 [95% CI: 1.18-1.43]. Families headed by Black/Brown individuals and women had higher BFIS scores, as did those headed by single individuals and those with low educational attainment.
There was no reduction in the average BFIS score for 2020 and 2022 for extremely poor families, despite improvements in other socioeconomic indicators. Families enrolled in social programs, beneficiaries of emergency aid, and households headed by women and black people experienced higher average BFIS scores, highlighting factors in the complex dynamics of FI during COVID-19 and a dynamically oscillating evolution in the sociodemographic landscape.
粮食不安全（FI）与获取食物不足相关，反映了社会不平等。社会人口因素的变化对家庭粮食不安全有重大影响。本研究最初假设，新冠疫情的发展会加剧社会经济挑战，从而影响研究人群中与粮食不安全相关的趋势和应对措施。
本研究考察在健康危机期间，一个重要人群组中与粮食不安全相关的社会和人口因素如何变化，以识别弱势群体。
这项纵向研究分析了巴西两个城市公立学校学生的随机样本。在2020年至2022年期间的四个时间点（T0、T1、T2和T3），每隔9个月收集一次数据。使用巴西粮食不安全量表（BFIS）测量粮食不安全情况，并将其作为离散数值变量进行分析（BFIS得分 - 0至14分）。使用配对威尔科克森检验分析不同时间点之间的差异。一个广义线性混合模型评估了BFIS得分与社会和人口变量随时间的关系。
BFIS平均得分从T0时的2.9降至T1时的2.7；T2和T3时降至2.2，T0与T2/T3之间（P < 0.001）以及T1与T2/T3之间（P = 0.017）存在显著差异。较高的BFIS得分与收入低于或等于最低工资一半的家庭相关（率比（RR） = 4.93 [95%置信区间：3.81 - 6.36]）、参加社会项目的家庭（RR = 1.14 [95%置信区间：1.02 - 3.81]）、接受紧急援助的家庭（RR = 1.15 [95%置信区间：1.04 - 1.28]）或领取食品篮的家庭（RR = 1.30 [95%置信区间：1.18 - 1.43]）有关。由黑人/棕色人种和女性为户主的家庭，以及由单身人士为户主和教育程度低的家庭，BFIS得分较高。
尽管其他社会经济指标有所改善，但2020年至2022年期间极端贫困家庭的BFIS平均得分并未下降。参加社会项目的家庭、紧急援助受益者以及由女性和黑人作为户主的家庭，其BFIS平均得分较高，这凸显了新冠疫情期间粮食不安全复杂动态中的因素，以及社会人口状况的动态振荡演变。
