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

Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva1, Ana Marlúcia Oliveira-Assis1, Samuel Badaró Junqueira2

  • 11 Departamento Ciência da Nutrição, Escola de Nutrição, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil.

Public Health Nutrition
|January 22, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children with moderate to severe food insecurity face a higher risk of developing asthma. This highlights the link between nutrition and respiratory health in children, underscoring the need for food security initiatives.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Public Health Nutrition
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Food and nutrition insecurity is a growing concern globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children, with significant public health implications.
  • Understanding the interplay between nutritional status and asthma development is crucial for effective prevention and management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between varying levels of food and nutrition insecurity and the prevalence of asthma symptoms in children.
  • To identify if food insecurity acts as a risk factor for asthma development in a pediatric population in Latin America.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1307 children aged 6-12 years in Brazil.
  • Asthma symptoms (wheezing in the past 12 months) were assessed using a validated questionnaire.
  • Food insecurity was measured using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, with logistic regression analyses employed to determine associations.

Main Results:

  • A significant proportion of children (64.5%) experienced some degree of food and nutrition insecurity.
  • Children with moderate food insecurity had 1.71 times higher odds of asthma, while those with severe food insecurity had 2.51 times higher odds.
  • A clear dose-response relationship was observed between the severity of food insecurity and the likelihood of asthma.

Conclusions:

  • Moderate and severe food and nutrition insecurity are significant indicators of vulnerability to childhood wheezing.
  • These findings suggest that interventions promoting food security could have positive impacts on child respiratory health.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying biological and social mechanisms connecting food insecurity and asthma in children.
Abstract

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