Yale University

Household food insecurity and excess weight/obesity among Brazilian women and children: a life-course approach.

TitleHousehold food insecurity and excess weight/obesity among Brazilian women and children: a life-course approach.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsSchlüssel, Michael Maia, Antonio Augusto Moura da Silva, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, and Gilberto Kac
JournalCadernos de saúde pública
Volume29
Issue2
Pagination219-26
Date Published2013 Feb
ISSN1678-4464
AbstractHousehold food insecurity (HFI) may increase obesity risk, but results are not consistent across the life course or between developed/underdeveloped settings. The objective of this paper is to review findings from previous analyses in Brazil among adult women, female adolescents, and children up to five. Data were derived from the 2006 Brazilian Demographic and Health Survey. Associations between HFI (measured with the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale) and excess weight/obesity were investigated through Poisson regression models. While severe HFI was associated with obesity risk among adult women (PR: 1.49; 95%CI: 1.17-1.90), moderate HFI was associated with excess weight among female adolescents (PR: 1.96; 95%CI: 1.18-3.27). There was no association between HFI and obesity among children (either boys or girls). The nutrition transition in Brazil may be shaping the differential deleterious effect of HFI on body fat accumulation across the life course; the association is already evident among female adolescents and adult women but still not among children.
DOI10.1371/journal.pone.0044833
Alternate JournalCad Saude Publica

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