Racial and Territorial Inequalities in Food Insecurity in One of the Largest Metropolises in Latin America: Rio de...

Objectives. To assess racial and territorial inequalities in food insecurity at the municipal level in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, examining whether disparities persist across income strata and territories. Methods. We performed a population-based cross-sectional analysis of the first Municipal Food Insecurity Survey (2024), with a sample of 2000 households across 5 zones. Moderate to severe food insecurity (MS-FI) was measured using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) were estimated using multinomial logistic regression with complex survey design, adjusting for per capita income. Results. Households headed by Black individuals showed lower education, higher informal employment, lower income, and greater residence in slums and lower-development zones. MS-FI affected 22.9% of households headed by Black women versus 9.4% of those headed by White women. Among households earning one quarter or less of the minimum wage, MS-FI reached 57.7% in homes headed by Black individuals versus 29.8% in homes headed by White individuals. Disparities persisted at higher income levels. Adjusted RRRs remained elevated for households headed by Black individuals, particularly in the North (RRR = 2.83) and West (RRR = 2.68) zones. Conclusions. In Rio de Janeiro, MS-FI reflects structural racial and territorial inequalities beyond poverty alone. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 23, 2026:e1-e10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308566).