Incidence of food insecurity among adults and older adults diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019: a longitudinal study, Rio Grande, 2021-2023
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: To assess the incidence of food insecurity over a one-and-a-half-year period in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, and to investigate risk factors, considering adults and older adults who had coronavirus disease 2019. Methods: This is a longitudinal study, with data collected at two time points: 2021 and 2022-2023. Food insecurity was assessed using the reduced version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar, EBIA). The following were considered as exposure variables: sex, age, race/color, marital status, educational level, family income, income situation, and employment status during the pandemic. The variables were described using absolute and relative frequencies, and proportions were compared using the Chi-square test. Associated factors were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment. Results: Among the 1,231 individuals analyzed, the incidence of food insecurity during the period was 20.1%. In the adjusted analysis, female sex (incidence ratio [IR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.21; 1.95), lower educational levels (IR 1.75; 95%CI 1.26; 2.41 and IR 1.54; 95%CI 1.16; 2.04), lower family income (IR 2.01; 95%CI 1.17; 3.47 and IR 2.53; 95%CI 1.54; 4.15), and marked income reduction during the pandemic (IR 1.51; 95%CI 1.15; 1.98) were risk factors associated with the incidence of food insecurity. Conclusion: The results showed that 2 out of every 10 individuals developed food insecurity over the follow-up period, which spanned the pandemic and the subsequent period, with greater risk among individuals in more socially vulnerable groups.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203619013