The contribution of school meals to food security among households with children and adolescents in Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective To study the relationship between food insecurity and school meal consumption, adjusted for socio-demographic variables. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated households with children and adolescents living in Brazilian municipalities. A semi-structured survey was administered to parents/guardians at a parent and teacher meeting to assess their socioeconomic conditions and access to food using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, that classifies households in food security or in mild, moderate or severe food insecurity. Parents and students were asked about the frequency of their consumption of school meals offered by the Brazilian School Food Program, that's one of the largest public policies in Brazil and offers free meals to all students in all public schools. Multinomial regression was performed to assess the relationship between food security and frequency of school meal consumption. Results A total of 1,705 students participated in the study, most of whom displayed some degree of food insecurity (56.5%), according to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Regular (more than 3 times/week) consumption of school meals was reported by 78.5% of students. Regarding the frequency of school meal consumption adjusted by socio-demographic variables, we found that students from households with food insecurity (moderate or severe) were more likely to regularly consume school meals. The prevalence of households with moderate or severe food insecurity was twice higher than those who lived in food security households, after adjusting for socio-demographic variables (2.35 - 95%CI 1.53-3.61). Conclusion The Brazilian School Food Program has contributed greatly to food security. While the guarantee of universality is essential for Program to reach all schoolchildren who are experiencing food insecurity, the program should also aim for greater equity.