Pandemia de COVID-19: repercussões na insegurança alimentar e fatores associados em adolescentes de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

The need for social isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated several impacts on the ways and quality of life of individuals around the world. Among these impacts, those related to economic and social aspects and food security (FS) stand out. With the instability of work and income and changes in the food production chain, the difficulty in accessing and making food choices can be exacerbated. Considering that food insecurity (FI) is a global public health problem, mainly affecting those who are more vulnerable, such as adolescents, it becomes relevant to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the guarantee of SA in this context. public. This is a cross-sectional study that seeks to assess changes in the frequency of FI and associated factors, during the previous periods and during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the homes of adolescents enrolled in public schools in the urban area of the municipality of Juiz de Fora, MG and previously studied by the Study of Lifestyle in Adolescence (EVA-JF). Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire prepared using the Google Forms tool. FI was evaluated using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) and the economic classification according to the Brazil Economic Classification Criteria, from the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP). In addition, aspects related to the perception of the quality of food and work and income situation were addressed. Factors associated with AI were investigated using Pearson's chi-square and, when appropriate, Fisher's exact test. Furthermore, for this purpose, multivariate regression was used. There was no significant difference in the frequency of AI in the adolescents' homes in the periods before (35.6%) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (35%). However, an increase in factors associated with the presence of AI in households during the pandemic was observed, such as non-white race/color, perception of food quality as poor/regular/terrible, and unemployment of a female caregiver. Given this scenario, articulated actions between government and civil society are needed in order to ensure mechanisms that help guarantee the Human Right to Adequate Food and food security in households with adolescents, considering the vulnerability of this group.