The impact of the “Bolsa família” program on household diet quality, Pernambuco state, Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of the Bolsa Família Program (BFP) on the quality of dietsamong households from Pernambuco State using data from the 2008-2009 Brazilian Household Budget Survey. The propensity score matching method, which corrects the sample selection bias, was used to make a comparison between beneficiary families and beneficiaries not in the program. The results show that beneficiary families in the Program scored, on average, 9.05 more on the Diet Quality Index (DQI), compared with families not participating in the BFP. The results point to the effectiveness of the BFP in improving the quality of family diets, particularly in reducing fat and sodium, and increasing variety.