Insegurança alimentar de crianças da cidade de São Bento-MA

Abstract

Bearing in mind that food is essential for maintaining life and that it is through food that all nutrients can be absorbed, it is known that there is still food insecurity, which is characterized when a person does not have regular access to food in sufficient quantity and quality for survival. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of food insecurity among children in the city of São Bento-MA. 83 children aged between 1 months and 10 years were selected for the study. To carry out the calculations, we used a digital scale and a tape measure to measure the height of the interviewees, both in order to use the results to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI) to identify whether they were at the ideal weight. After the calculation, it was found that more than half were underweight and 25 were within what is considered normal levels. In order to classify their nutritional status, a questionnaire was used referring to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA), which was sent to the minors’ family members, so that 36% had mild food insecurity and 12% moderate. Based on these results, we can conclude that although there are campaigns promoting the right to healthy food, there are still shortcomings that need to be reorganized