Food Insecurity and Associated Factors Among Adolescents from Inland Northeast Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to investigate food insecurity (FI) and its association with sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral and dental alterations in adolescents from a county in the inland of northeastern Brazil. Data on 192 adolescents aged 11-14 years were analyzed in the public school system in Juripiranga, Paraíba, Northeast Brazil. The adolescents and their guardians responded to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire for the caregiver, the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire for children and adolescents, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Academic performance was observed by calculating the median of the final assessments of basic school subjects. The prevalence of FI was 69.19, and FI was associated with a family income of up to one minimum wage per month (prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.90; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.20-3.01), no practice of religion by the guardian (PR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.04-1.73), behavior considered inappropriate by the guardian (PR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.02-1.73), and academic performance (PR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05-1.72). FI is considered a complex and multifactorial problem that requires appropriate intervention to deal with multiple social determinants. The results point to the need for integrated public policies between the health, education, social assistance, and food security sectors.