Condições de alimentação e nutrição de crianças participantes do Programa Bolsa Família de um município do sul de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The Bolsa Família Program in recent years has been the objective of many studies that show the impact of reducing the poverty and food and nutritional insecurity by up to 30%, depending on the benefits granted. In addition, the nutritional transition, a phenomenon that contributes to the increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, has been observed not only among adults but also among children at all socioeconomic status and even in the most vulnerable. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of food and nutritional insecurity and associated factors among families with children under seven years of age participating in the Bolsa Família Program, living in the city of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out with 145 families that met the inclusion criteria, with 206 children younger than seven years evaluated. The prevalence of food and nutritional insecurity was 77.9%, of which 37.3% with low food insecurity; 24.7% marginal food insecurity, and 15.9% high food insecurity. It was identified a (positive or negative?) association of food and nutritional insecurity with family income (p = 0.024), feeding after receiving the benefit (p = 0.006), bean consumption (p = 0.016) and packed savory snacks (p = 0.006) among children from two to seven years of age. In addition, iron deficiency anemia was associated with the introduction of ultra-processed foods, such as stuffed cookies (p = 0.023), packed savory snacks (p = 0.044) and petit suisse cheese (p = 0.014) before two years of age. Given the high prevalence of food and nutritional insecurity and factors that have been associated with it, the importance of promoting adequate and healthy eating, guaranteeing the Human Right to Adequate Food and actions aimed at addressing the complexity of health are highlighted food and nutritional status of the population studied. Therefore, it is expected that this research will contribute to the generation of scientific evidence that will be used in decision making to improve management efficiency by redefining priorities and qualification of professionals involved in the program.