2025/02/19 by Vanessa Sá Leal, Emília Chagas Costa, Rísia Cristina Egito de Menezes +7 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Health Professions · Nursing · #Child Nutrition and Water Access #Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations #Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
paper · doi:10.1080/23748834.2025.2455305
openalex publication_date 2025/02/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
The food environment is related to physical, political, economic, and sociocultural dimensions, influencing the food security of the population. This investigation aims to assess the relationship between food insecurity and the food environment, considering distances of 800 m and 1600 m de buffers among adults residing in the Northeast of Brazil. The dependent variable is food insecurity, while the independent variables include socioeconomic conditions and the community and consumer food environment. Associations were tested using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Of the 446 participants, 39.2% were experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity. There was no statistical difference between groups regarding the number of establishments selling unprocessed foods at any of the metrics. A higher density of mixed and ultra-processed foods was found around individuals with food insecurity, but this difference was significant only at 1600 m. At 800 m, the price of fruits, vegetables, and greens remained associated with food insecurity, while at 1600 m, both the price of fruits, vegetables, and legumes and the presence of promotions for unprocessed foods like ‘buy 3 pay for 2’ remained associated. The results suggest the need for an increase in the number of fair-priced unprocessed food establishments near households, as well as a reduction in excess of ultra-processed food commerces.