Food and nutrition insecurity: a marker of vulnerability to asthma symptoms

Public Health Nutrition

Laura Cunha Rodrigues¹  Luce Alves da Silva¹  Elizabete de Jesus Pinto¹  Sandra Maria Chaves dos Santos¹  Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves¹  Maurício Lima Barreto¹  Samuel Badaró Junqueira¹  Rosemeire Leovigildo Fiaccone¹  Ana Marlúcia Oliveira-Assis¹  Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva¹ 

关键词: Asthma;    Wheezing;    Food and nutrition insecurity;    Children;    Adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.1017/S1368980012005551

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Cambridge University Press

【 摘 要 】

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the association between food and nutrition insecurity and asthma in children from Latin America.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingSão Francisco do Conde, Bahia, north-eastern Brazil.SubjectsThe study included 1307 children aged 6–12 years from public elementary schools. Asthma symptoms were collected using a questionnaire that was translated and adapted from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, phase III. The diagnosis of asthma was determined based on reports of wheezing in the previous 12 months. The Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale was used to identify food insecurity. We also obtained demographic, socio-economic and anthropometric information for each participant. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the associations of interest.ResultsOf the children surveyed, 10·4 % had a history of wheezing and 64·5 % had some degree of food and nutrition insecurity. We found a positive dose–response relationship and statistically significant associations of asthma with moderate (OR = 1·71, 95 % CI 1·01, 2·89) and severe (OR = 2·51, 95 % CI 1·28, 4·93) food and nutrition insecurity.ConclusionsThe results show that moderate and severe food and nutrition insecurity are markers of vulnerability to wheezing. It is important to note that the results of studies in this field have potential implications for social policies that promote food security. Further studies to identify the mechanisms involved in the relationship between food and nutrition insecurity and asthma are needed.

【 授权许可】

Unknown