Prevalência de Insegurança Alimentar, fatores demográficos e socioeconômicos entre idosos usuários de Restaurantes Populares

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify the existence of Food Insecurity and evaluate its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors in elderly users of low-budget restaurants in two municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study design, conducted with 122 elderly people, both male and female, users of low-budget restaurants in the municipalities of Currais Novos and Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte. The participants answered a structured questionnaire addressing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) was applied. Results: Most elderly were male, aging from 60 to 75 years old, had a mostly income higher than one minimum wage and received government assistant retirement. There was an incidence of Food Insecurity condition in 36.1% of the sample and it was associated with their marital status, monthly income and number of residents at their homes (p=0.03; 0.00; 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: It was observed that one third of the elderly presented in Food Insecurity situation, which may compromise their quality of life. It is notable that, although the Food Insecurit yindex has decreased in Brazil, some populations and risk groups are still likely to this condition, as showed in this study. Therefore, it is important to have public policies to remove or prevent this situation.