Socioeconomic factors related to food consumption and the condition of food and nutrition insecurity in preschoolers

Abstract

Objectives: assess the nutritional status of children attending Municipal Centers for Early Childhood Education (CMEIs, in Portuguese) in Lavras-MG, using anthropometric data, food consumption, and food and nutrition insecurity, identifying the main factors that may be associated with the investigated outcomes. Methodology: this is a cross-sectional study, conducted with 581 children aged 0 to 5 years and 11 months, in which anthropometric conditions, food consumption, and food and nutrition insecurity were investigated. Logistic regression models were used to study the association among several variables and the outcomes (food consumption and food insecurity). Variables were selected through lasso and the model effects were interpreted in terms of odds ratio. Results: according to the anthropometric profile, it was observed that 23.6% of the children were of low stature, 8.3% of high weight, 22.7% were overweight, and 8.8% were obese, according to the H/A, W/H, and BMI/A indicators, respectively. The mean value of the School Feeding Index (ALES) was found to be 6.2 (SD = 4.5). It can be observed that 32.0% of children consume low quality food, 15.8% medium quality, and 52.2% good quality. Food insecurity index was 43.2%; 185 children (35.3%) have mild insecurity; 26 children (5.0%) have moderate insecurity and 15 children (2.9%) have severe insecurity. Through the logistic models, we found that food insecurity and inadequate food consumption are mainly associated with the economic situation of the family. Conclusion: a relevant portion of the children in this study suffer from food insecurity and inadequate food consumption, and these are related to the family’s socioeconomic level, demonstrating the need for educational and preventive interventions.