From skin color to fruit, vegetable, and legume consumption: food Insecurity and its associations

Abstract

Introduction: Food Insecurity (FI) occurs when access to food is inadequate in quantity and quality. The issue escalated with the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting new individuals and exacerbating the reality of those who were already facing it. Objective: To investigate the association between the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals with FI and their food consumption during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted from May to August 2021 in Avaré-SP, Brazil, among users of Primary Healthcare. A socioeconomic questionnaire, the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, and dietary intake markers from Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (VIGITEL) were applied. Logistic regression models were used to investigate associations in the SPSS v.20.0 program, considering p < 0.05. Results: Out of 207 participants, 57.0% experienced some level of FI. Regarding dietary markers, 62.8% did not have adequate fruit consumption, and 55.1% did not consume vegetables properly. FI also reduced the chances of adequate consumption of these food groups. Low levels of education increased the chances of experiencing FI, while retirement and white skin color were identified as protective factors. Discussion: The FI situation reflected negatively on the food consumption of fruits and vegetables, and its prevalence was higher in brown and black individuals. Ensuring the Human Right to Adequate Food should be a priority agenda for public policies, with healthcare professionals trained to identify and propose effective actions.