Food insecurity in Brazil in accordance with different socio-demographic scenarios

Abstract

The scope of this article is to determine the prevalence of food insecurity, as well as associated factors in different socio-demographic contexts in Brazil. A systematic review with meta-analysis of articles published from 2004 to 2013 on Food and Nutrition Security based on searches in databases. The articles were categorized in accordance with the origin of their samples, duly calculating the weighted average prevalence of food insecurity and odds ratios. The weighted averages of the prevalence of food insecurity for schools/daycares, health services/beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program and socially-challenged population groups were 1.8%, 76.6%, 87.2% and 25.9%, respectively, with higher odds ratios in relation to population-based studies and results of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD). Family income, number of members in the household and the type of housing were the main variables that revealed a significant inverse relationship with food insecurity. The results show the social determinants of food insecurity in Brazil.