Insegurança alimentar em universitários do semiárido potiguar

Abstract

Food is essential for maintaining life, as is water. Therefore, access to both is fundamental to guaranteeing an individual's quality of life. However, even today, many citizens experience food and/or water insecurity, which is when one of these rights is not guaranteed, which will affect several factors in the lives of this population. University students, in turn, are a group that goes through a change in their routine when they enter the academic environment, and in many cases there is an increase in household expenses. In this sense, this study sought to investigate the food and water security of university students at a university located in the interior of the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte. A cross-sectional survey was conducted through the application of a structured questionnaire on socioeconomic, demographic, and health issues and on food and water insecurity, as well as the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) and the Household Experience of Water Insecurity Scale (EDIH). Fifty students participated in the study, which found that 50% of the students evaluated were food insecure and 54% were water insecure. Food insecurity was more prevalent among students studying psychology (p=0.017), those receiving aid (p=0.011) and those who considered their income allocated to food to be insufficient (p=0.045). Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant percentage of students experiencing food and water insecurity, which is alarming and extremely important to study, considering that both are basic rights of all citizens.