[Food insecurity, environment, and habitability in households in urban and rural areas of Brazil].

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relation between food insecurity and basic sanitation and habitability conditions in households according to urban and rural areas in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was based on microdata from the 2017-2018 Brazilian Household Budget Survey. Habitability conditions were analyzed based on water access; sanitary drainage; garbage collection service; presence of river, lake, polluted bays near the home; presence of a slope near the home; and presence of synanthropes. Food insecurity was measured by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. The occurrence of the most severe levels in households (moderate/severe food insecurity) was considered as the outcome. Prevalence estimates and odds ratios were generated with 95% confidence intervals on the Stata software. Urban households with higher odds of moderate/severe food insecurity were associated with wells, inadequate garbage disposal, and lack of treated sewage, whereas the greatest vulnerabilities in rural households were related to sewage connected to ditches and the risk of landslides/hills/flooding. Urban and rural Brazilians areas showed heterogeneous basic sanitation and habitability conditions, representing challenges to the guarantee of food and nutritional security.