Socioeconomic inequalities in the food consumption of the elderly Brazilian population: National Health Survey, 2019

Abstract

Food consumption, when performed in an unhealthy manner, has consequences for the health of individuals, such as a higher incidence of excess weight and the exacerbation of pre-existing chronic diseases. The scope of this article was to assess summary inequalities in food consumption among the elderly population in Brazil. It involved a cross-sectional study, with data from the 2019 National Health Survey. The following outcomes were evaluated: consumption of beans, greens/ve-getables, fruit, milk, meat, soda, candies and salt. The main exposure variable was education. An adjusted analysis was conducted and two indices were also used to measure inequality: the slope index (SII) and the concentration index (CIX). A total of 43,554 elderly people were investigated. It was identified that the more educated were 80% more likely to consume vegetables, fruit and milk, while the consumption of beans and meat was up to 50% lower among the less educated. The analyses of relative and absolute inequality reinforce the lower consumption of foods considered heal-thy among the less educated elderly individuals. The results reveal inequalities in food consumption among the elderly, with greater magnitude in food recognized as being healthy.