Moderate and Severe Level of Food Insecurity Is Associated with High Calorie-Dense Food Consumption of Filipino Households

The concentration of hemoglobin is associated with the dietary iron availability, food insecurity and the use of oral contraceptives among women in socially vulnerable areas of a capital city in northeastern Brazil

This study aimed to assess hemoglobin concentration and its association with oral contraceptive (OC) use, food insecurity (FI) and dietary iron availability (DIA) in adult women of reproductive age (20-44 years). This is a population-based cross-sectional study that analysed 505 women living in favelas and urban communities in a capital city in northeastern Brazil. Hemoglobin concentration was determined using capillary blood samples. FI and DIA were assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale and the 24-h food recall, respectively. Association analysis was carried out using logistic regression. A directed acyclic graph (DAG) was designed to illustrate the causal paths between hemoglobin concentration and DIA. A significance level of 5 % was adopted. Low hemoglobin concentrations (11·2 g/dl: (1·79)) and a high prevalence of anaemia (64·0 %) were observed; 28·7 % used OC (28·7 %) and 76·4 % were in FI. An average energetic intake of 1495 kcal/d (482·0) and 0·46 mg/d (0·27) of DIA were also observed. In the DAG-guided multivariable analysis, it was observed that hemoglobin concentrations ≥ 12 mg/dl were directly associated with higher DIA (OR: 1·67; 95 % CI (1. 08, 2·59)) and OC use (OR: 1·67; 95 % CI (1·10, 2·55)) and inversely associated with mild FI (OR: 0·60; 95 % CI (0·37, 0·96)) or severe FI (OR: 0·37; 95 % CI: (0·18, 0·76)). Women taking OC and with a higher DIA were less likely to have low hemoglobin concentrations, while those in the context of FI were in the opposite situation.

The relationship between food insecurity, purchasing patterns and perceptions of the food environment in urban slums in Ibadan, Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Rapid urbanisation without concomitant infrastructure development has led to the creation of urban slums throughout sub-Saharan Africa. People living in urban slums are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity due to the lack of physical and economic accessibility to food. Hence, it is important to explore how vulnerable groups living in slums interact with the food environment. This study assessed the relationships between food insecurity, including restrictive coping strategies, food purchasing patterns and perceptions about the food environment among dwellers of selected urban slums in Ibadan, Nigeria.

METHODS

This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with people responsible for food procurement from 590 randomly selected households in two urban slums in Ibadan. Food insecurity and restrictive coping strategies were assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and the Coping Strategy Index, respectively. We examined purchasing patterns of participants by assessing the procurement of household foodstuffs in different categories, as well as by vendor type. Participants' perceptions of the food environment were derived through a five-item composite score measuring food availability, affordability and quality. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models analysed associations between food insecurity, purchasing patterns and perceptions of the food environment.

RESULTS

The prevalence of food insecurity in the sample was 88%, with 40.2% of the households experiencing severe food insecurity. Nearly a third (32.5%) of the households used restrictive coping strategies such as limiting the size of food portions at mealtimes, while 28.8% reduced the frequency of their daily meals. Participants purchased food multiple times a week, primarily from formal and informal food markets rather than from wholesalers and supermarkets. Only a few households grew food or had livestock (3.2%). Food insecure households had a lower perceived access to the food environment, with an approximate 10% increase in access score per one-unit decrease in food insecurity (AOR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.96). The most procured foods among all households were fish (72.5%), bread (60.3%), rice (56.3%), yam and cassava flours (50.2%). Food-secure households procured fruit, dairy and vegetable proteins more frequently.

CONCLUSION

Food insecurity remains a serious public health challenge in the urban slums of Ibadan. Perceptions of greater access to the food environment was associated with increasing food security. Interventions should focus on creating more robust social and financial protections, with efforts to improve livelihoods to ensure food security among urban slum-dwellers.

Household food insecurity among child and adolescent athletics practitioners: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of food insecurity among child and adolescent athletics practitioners and to investigate factors associated with exercise performance, dietary habits, body composition, sleep, and socioeconomic status based on food security status.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study conducted in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, between June and July 2023. The convenience sample included children and adolescents (7-17 y old) of both sexes. We evaluated exercise performance, household food insecurity (HFI), dietary-related parameters, and other body composition, lifestyle, and social-related variables. Exercise performance was assessed using the counter movement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), horizontal long jump (HLJ), 50-m sprint test (50-m ST) and throwing strength test (TST). The assessment of HFI was conducted using the food insecurity experience scale (FIES). Comparisons and associations were investigated based on food security status.

RESULTS

The total sample size was comprised of 138 children (n = 42; 30.4%) and adolescents (n = 96; 69.6%). We found an association between food security status and sex (X2(138,1) = 4.42; P = 0.036). SJ was higher in the food security group than in the HFI group (t(117) = 2.112; P = 0.037; ES = 0.39). Sleep- and dietary-related factors did not differ between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the prevalence of HFI among child and adolescent athletics participants was approximately 40%. Regarding exercise performance, SJ was better in the food security group than in the HFI group. Concerning dietary-related data, the HFI group had a lower number of meals per day than the food security group, and other dietary data did not differ between the groups. Body composition and sleep-related parameters were similar between the groups.

Dietary patterns and associations with metabolic risk factors for non-communicable disease

Unhealthy dietary habit is a major contributor to the burden of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension, especially the increased burden in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence of the association between specific dietary patterns and health outcomes is scarce in sub-Saharan African countries. This study aimed to identify principal dietary patterns and evaluate associations with metabolic risk factors including hypertension, overweight/obesity, and abdominal obesity in Northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia, from 10 May 2021 to 20 June 2021. Dietary intake was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric (weight, height, hip/waist circumference) and blood pressure measurements were performed using standardized tools. Principal component analysis was conducted to derive dietary patterns. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between dietary patterns and metabolic risk factors and with sociodemographic and individual risk factors. This study derives two types of dietary patterns: 'westernized' dietary pattern, which is positively correlated with consumption of meat, dairy, fast foods, alcohol, fish, sweet/sugary foods, and fruits, and 'traditional' dietary pattern, which is positively correlated with intake of cereals, vegetables, legumes, roots/tubers, coffee, and oils. The prevalence of hypertension was significantly lower in adults with higher quantiles of westernized dietary pattern (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.60; p < 0.01; quantile three); and (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.17, 0.75; p < 0.01; quantile four). Younger, married, and middle-income adults were associated with the highest quantile of the westernized pattern. Being females and having middle income associated with the highest quantile of traditional dietary patterns (p < 0.05). This study suggested two types of dietary patterns, westernized and traditional, among adults in Northwest Ethiopia and revealed a significant association with metabolic risk factors like hypertension. Identifying the main dietary patterns in the population could be informative to consider local-based dietary recommendations and interventions to reduce metabolic risk factors.

Examining the disparities: A cross-sectional study of socio-economic factors and food insecurity in Togo

BACKGROUND

Despite many interventions, Togo continues to have one of the highest rates of poverty and food insecurity in the sub-Saharan African region. Currently there is no systematic analysis of the factors associated with household food-insecurity in this country. This study aimed at exploring the factors associated with food insecurity in Togo.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study that used data from five waves (2014 to 2018) of the Gallup World Poll (GWP) for Togo. Sample size included 4754 participants, aged 15 and above. Food insecurity was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) questionnaire as per the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) guidelines. Our outcome variable was food insecurity, categorized as: 1) food secure (FIES score = 0-3), moderately food insecure (FIES score = 4-6), and severely food insecure (FIES score = 7-8). We did descriptive and multinomial regressions to analyze data using Stata version 16.

RESULTS

Between 2014 and 2018, the percentage of severe food insecurity fluctuated-42.81% in 2014, 37.79% in 2015, 38.98% in 2016, 45.41% in 2017, and 33.84% in 2018. Whereas that of moderate food insecurity increased from 23.55% to 27.33% except for 2016 and 2017 where the percentage increased to 32.33% and 27.46% respectively. In the logistic regression analysis, we found that respondents with lower than elementary education had a higher relative risk ratio of moderate (RRR = 1.45,95%CI = 1.22-1.72) and severe (RRR = 1.72, 95%CI = 1.46-2.02) food insecurity compared to those with secondary and higher education. Rural respondents had higher RRR of severe food insecurity (RRR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.16-1.62) compared to those who lived in the urban areas. Compared with those in the richest wealth quintile, respondents in the poorest wealth quintile had 2.21 times higher RRR of moderate (RRR = 2.21, 95%CI = 1.69-2.87) and 3.58 times higher RRR of severe (RRR = 3.58, 95%CI = 2.81-4.55) food insecurity.

CONCLUSION

About two-thirds of participants experienced some level of food insecurity in 2018. Lower levels of education, rural residency and poorer household wealth index areas were associated with a higher risk of food insecurity. National food security programs should focus on promoting education and improving socioeconomic condition of people especially in rural areas.

Burden of dental caries in individuals experiencing food insecurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Food insecurity affects approximately 2.37 billion people worldwide. Individuals experiencing food insecurity are more likely to exhibit poor health-related endpoints. Dental caries, a highly prevalent noncommunicable disease, is modulated by an interplay between biological, behavioral, and environmental factors.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess whether individuals experiencing food insecurity were more likely to exhibit dental caries than individuals facing food security.

DATA SOURCES

The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Ovid, CINAHL, LILACS, and APA PsycINFO databases were checked from inception to November 2021. Grey literature and Google Scholar were also examined. An updated search was conducted in August 2022. Observational studies were included if they evaluated the association between dental caries and food insecurity status.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data extraction was performed by two reviewers.

DATA ANALYSIS

Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted using R language. In total, 514 references were retrieved from databases, of which 14 articles were included in qualitative synthesis and 7 were merged into meta-analysis. The results of an inverse-variance meta-analysis (OR = 1.62; 95%CI, 1.01-2.60) and a meta-analysis of binary data (OR = 1.66; 95%CI, 1.36-2.02) demonstrated that food-insecure individuals were more likely to exhibit dental caries than food-secure individuals. Inverse-variance meta-analyses appraising multiple strata of food security also showed that individuals experiencing marginal food security (OR = 1.48; 95%CI, 1.28-1.72), individuals experiencing low food security (OR = 1.26; 95%CI, 1.01-1.57), and those experiencing very low food security (OR = 1.33; 95%CI, 1.04-1.71) were more likely to exhibit dental caries than individuals experiencing full food security.

CONCLUSION

Dental caries is associated with food insecurity. Individuals living with food insecurity are more likely to exhibit dental caries than those who have food security.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number CRD42021268582.

The combined consumption of fresh/minimally processed food and ultra-processed food on food insecurity: COVID Inconfidentes, a population-based survey

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the combined consumption of fresh/minimally processed and ultra-processed food is associated with food insecurity (FI) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional observational study was derived from a survey using a population-based search of a complex sample. FI was assessed using the validated Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Food consumption was assessed using a qualitative FFQ and the NOVA classification for fresh/minimally processed food and ultra-processed food. A scoring system was used to evaluate combined food consumption according to the extent and purpose of processing, considering the weekly consumption of the two groups (according to the NOVA classification). Higher punctuation reflects worse diet quality (higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and lower consumption of fresh/minimally processed foods). A theoretical causality model was constructed using a directed acyclic graph, and multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression to test the association between FI and food consumption.

SETTING

Ouro Preto and Mariana, Brazil, between October and December 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

An epidemiological household survey was conducted with 1753 individuals selected through a stratified and clustered sampling design in three stages.

RESULTS

Those with food consumption scores in the fourth quartile had a 60 % higher prevalence ratio (PR) for FI (PR: 1·60 and 95 % CI: 1·06 - 2·40). Also, the increased consumption of fresh/minimally processed foods and low consumption of ultra-processed foods presented a 45 % lower prevalence ratio of FI (PR: 0·55 and 95 % CI: 0·40 - 0·80).

CONCLUSION

These results indicate an inverse association between FI and diet quality.

Food insecurity as a risk factor of sarcopenic obesity in older adults

Sarcopenic obesity is characterized by the loss of muscle strength, mass and muscle functionality and increased adipose tissue (obesity) according to different criteria and cut-off points. The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity among older adults is growing worldwide, and many factors are involved in its development. Diet and food security have been described as the main contributors to the development of obesity and sarcopenia. Food insecurity consists of limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious foods. This narrative review aims to summarize the existing data on food insecurity as a risk factor for sarcopenic obesity in the elderly.