OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of household food security in 14 municipalities of Paraiba State and examine its association with the social, demographic and economic profile of these families. METHODS: A cross-sectional study comprising 4,533 families was performed. A questionnaire was used to assess the sociodemographic characteristics together with the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. The prevalences were calculated and the association between the studied variables was verified by the chi-square test. A logistic regression model was adjusted to identify risk factors associated with food security and insecurity. RESULTS: The prevalence of food insecurity was 11.3% for severe, 17.6% for moderate and 23.6% for mild. Food security was found in 47.5% of the families. The situation in rural areas was worse than in urban areas. Insufficient money to buy food was the main reason reported for the food insecurity status. The final logistic regression consisted of three variables: low per capita family income (US$12.00 vs. US$150.00, Odds Ratio=19.10), poor household conditions (Odds Ratio=1.98) and permanent absence of water supply (Odds Ratio=1.38). A lower prevalence of severe food insecurity was found among families with per capita monthly income up to US$12.00 that were included in social programs. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of food insecurity was high. The methodology used proved to be an important assessment tool of food security status and useful to monitor public policies such as the social programs that are part of the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) strategy of the Federal Government.
Cross-sectional studies; Epidemiology; Food security
