Reduction of stature deficit and purchase of family agriculture produce for school meals in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the effect of direct purchase of food from family farms for school meals on the deficit of stature in children under 5 years of age between 2013 and 2017 in Brazil. Method: Ecological and longitudinal study in which data collection occurred in different databases. The analysis was performed using the t-test for independent samples in order to compare the means between the variables stature deficit and purchases from family agriculture. In addition, a multivariable analysis was conducted through multiple linear regression. Results: There was a difference in means in the prevalence of significant stature deficit between the municipalities that bought < 30% and ≥30% of food from family farms for school feeding, with 1.47 points of difference. The linear regression model showed that for each percentage point of increase in the purchase of food from family farms for school feeding by the municipality, there will be on average a decrease of 0.55 points in the prevalence of stature deficit, independent of the other variables. Conclusion: the purchase of food from family agriculture for school feeding in Brazil may contribute to the reduction of the prevalence of stature deficit in children under five years old.

Key words
Food and nutritional security; Child malnutrition; School feeding; Agriculture