Abstract (EN):
Background. The burden of food insecurity in Portugal,
and the socioeconomic and demographic factors that are
related to this condition, are unknown.
Objective. To evaluate the frequency of food insecurity
and to identify its associated characteristics in the
Portuguese population.
Methods. Data from 3,552 heads of family respondents
of the 2005/06 Portuguese National Health Survey
were analyzed in a cross-sectional study. Food insecurity
was evaluated with the use of the US Department of
Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module
6-Item Short Form. Chi-square tests and multivariate
logistic regression models were conducted. Significance
was indicated at p < .05.
Results. Among the respondents, 16.5% were food
insecure and 3.5% had very low food security. The odds
of being food insecure were highest for women (OR, 1.51;
95% CI, 1.20 to 1.91), smokers (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.20
to 2.02), younger people (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.69 to 3.80),
unemployed people (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.01 to 4.60),
those with lower education (OR, 7.98; 95% CI, 4.73 to
13.49), and those with lower income (OR, 6.27; 95% CI,
4.23 to 9.30).
Conclusions. The present study explored for the first
time the burden of food insecurity in Portugal, revealing
that it was highly prevalent, affecting one in six Portuguese
citizens. Low education and low income were the
main factors associated with food insecurity.
Idioma:
Inglês
Tipo (Avaliação Docente):
Científica
Contacto:
tamaral@fcna.up.pt
Notas:
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