Relationship of Food Consumption and Family Income of Children under 2 Years Old in Three Counties in the Metropolitan Region of Belém

Douglas Monteiro de Sousa, Ananda Leticia Silva Cabral, Alan de Sousa Nunes, Ana Carolina Silva Crispino, Élida Cristina Bezerra Gadelha, Graziela Maria Benevenuto Bezerra, Letícia Flávia de Oliveira Borges, Lorenna Vidal Rodrigues da Silva, Mariana Maués de Castro, Natasha Assunção Oliveira, Paula Raimunda Araújo Teixeira, David da Silva Costa, Ana Karoline Araújo de Freitas,Adadely Françoise Maria Moura Ribeiro, Izabella Pessoa de Lima Pires, Izabella Syane Oliveira Pereira, Luísa Margareth Carneiro da Silva

Food Consumption, Children, Income, Food Security.

Objective: To relate the food consumption of the previous day and family income of children under 6 months to 2 years of age living in the metropolitan region of Belém, Pará. Methodology: Descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study with application of an online questionnaire via google forms, carried out in the metropolitan region of Belém-Pará, which covers 3 municipalities (Belém, Ananindeua and Marituba). The questions formulated in the food survey were based on food consumption markers from the SISVAN platform. Results: 221 responses from caregivers were obtained. Most declared to receive up to a monthly minimum wage. breast milk was consumed by all children younger than 6 months. In children aged over six months to two years, it was observed that breastfeeding did not occur continuously in children from groups with higher family income, and the ingestion of ultra-processed foods by children with lower incomes was observed. Conclusion: The data demonstrate dietary inadequacy, habits that are configured for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases throughout life. In addition, there is a low consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods, as well as an inadequate introduction of ultra-processed foods, especially in children belonging to families with lower incomes.

Received: 21 May 2022, Received in revised form: 11 Jun 2022, Accepted: 17 Jun 2022, Available online: 26 Jun 2022

10.22161/ijaers.96.24