Insegurança alimentar e excesso de peso em escolares do primeiro ano do ensino fundamental da rede municipal de São Leopoldo/RS

Abstract

Obesity is reaching alarming prevalence in children worldwide, and for that reason has been called by the World Health Organization as “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century”. This condition has been more common among those of lower socioeconomic status. Studies have identified food insecurity, defined as limited or uncertain access to food in adequate quantity and quality as a potential determinant of overweight and obesity in children. The researchers faced a great paradox, since historically food insecurity has always been associated with malnutrition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between food insecurity (FI) and overweight (OW) in children. This is a cross-sectional study, school-based, conducted in São Leopoldo, RS. The sample included 782 schoolchildren in first-year elementary school, of the 35 city public schools. Data were obtained with the mother/guardian. FI was measured by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA). Weight and height were provided by the Nutrition Service of the City Department of Education. The prevalence of OW and FI were, respectively, 38.1% [95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) 34.7-41.5] e 45.1% (95% CI 41.6-48.6). After adjustment for confounders, children with FI had a 22% lower probability of having OW when compared to children without FI. Despite the inverse association between the exposition and the outcome, this sample showed high frequencies of AI and OW. These results reveal the complexity of this relationship, and demand for more studies and robust public policies to address this paradox.