Availability, perceived access, and food insecurity in households of schoolchildren in two cities of Minas Gerais in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The pandemic context impacts the current and future situation of food and nutritional security, so it is urgent to assess the situation of food insecurity in its different dimensions. There are few studies that jointly assess food security, availability, and access to food. Objective: To describe household food availability and perceived access to food according to the situation of food insecurity in households of schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of households of schoolchildren in early childhood education and elementary school from public schools in Mariana and Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. Data were collected in the initial phase of the pandemic, “June and July 2020”, through telephone interviews with those responsible for buying and/or preparing the food in the households. Socioeconomic conditions, perceived access to food, and household food availability were investigated, and food insecurity was measured using the Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Measurement Scale. Results: Of the 612 households surveyed, 82.0% of the households presented food insecurity, of which 11.3% moderate food insecurity and 5.1% severe food insecurity. A relationship was observed between the low availability of fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and eggs with food insecurity and the perception of difficulty in accessing fruits and vegetables. Discussion: The situation of food insecurity faced by households is related to low availability of essential foods for the development of schoolchildren, and families also encounter inaccessibility to acquire fruits and vegetables.