Estado nutricional e avaliação da insegurança alimentar em indivíduos residentes em área de elevada prevalência de hanseníase no município de Governador Valadares

Abstract

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, being common in vulnerable areas and with precarious socioeconomic conditions. Inadequate nutritional status delays recovery, affecting the inflammatory response. In the city of Governador Valadares, the disease is endemic, affecting the population of several neighborhoods, including Turmalina. The objective is to evaluate the nutritional status and food insecurity (AI) of individuals living in an area of high leprosy endemicity in the municipality of Governador Valadares, to identify individuals who may be food insecure. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study collecting primary data from 292 individuals living in the Turmalina neighborhood. Data on weight, height, and mid-arm circumference (BC) were collected and all participants signed an informed consent form. Participants who refused or were unable to answer the questions correctly and those who were unable to perform a complete anthropometric assessment were excluded. Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, 64.44% (n = 154) were female and 82.85% (n = 198) declared themselves black/brown. Furthermore, 82.01% (n = 196) lived with more than 2 people, 91.57% (n = 226) received up to 3 minimum wages, 76.98% (n = 184) reported having studied up to teaching fundamental and 61.92% (n = 148) reported being unemployed at the time of the interview. Around 39.71% of individuals stated that they had difficulties or ran out of money before buying more food and 66.55% (n = 185) had some degree of IA. It was found that 39.13% (n = 18) of children and adolescents were diagnosed as overweight in terms of the BMI/Age parameter. The majority of adults (69.13%, n = 103) and elderly people (56.82%, n = 50) were also overweight in terms of BMI. Regarding WC, 31.11% of the entire population assessed was overweight. A higher prevalence of FI was found among those with overweight and obesity, whose reported average income was 1⁄2 minimum wage per person and severe FI reached more than 10% of all those assessed. In the present study, the majority of participants were identified with some degree of FI, together with a diagnosis of overweight and obesity. In areas with high rates of leprosy, these challenges persist, highlighting the complexity of combating and early diagnosis. Health policies are crucial to reducing the risk of leprosy.