Acesso físico às feiras de orgânicos municipais em favelas de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais / Physical access to municipal organic food fairs in favelas in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Introdução: Favelas são regiões que não foram priorizadas pelas políticas públicas, e isso se reflete no ambiente alimentar e, consequentemente, na dificuldade de acesso aos alimentos, sobretudo aqueles produzidos de forma sustentável. Objetivo: Caracterizar o acesso físico às feiras de orgânicos municipais em favelas de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, identificando desertos e pântanos alimentares e realizando uma comparação com a disponibilidade, distância e tempo de deslocamento de estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos convencionais nessas áreas. Métodos: Foi analisada a distribuição das feiras de orgânicos municipais, dos equipamentos públicos de segurança alimentar e nutricional e dos estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos cadastrados na Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado de Minas Gerais para o ano de 2019, nos 192 setores censitários localizados em favelas de Belo Horizonte. Para as análises closestfacility e distância de deslocamento, foi utilizado o buffer network de 500 metros. Também foi realizada a análise do tempo de deslocamento utilizando transporte público. Resultados: As feiras de orgânicos municipais estão em menor número e mais distantes dos centroides das favelas. E, além da maior distância para acessar as feiras caminhando, acessá-las por meio de transporte público leva, em geral, um tempo maior de deslocamento. Conclusões: São necessários programas e políticas públicas que incentivem a abertura de feiras de orgânicos e outros tipos de estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos in natura e minimamente processados que adotem modelos de produção sustentáveis em áreas de favelas, a fim de reduzir as iniquidades de acesso aos alimentos saudáveis e sustentáveis nesse território.Introdução: Favelas são regiões que não foram priorizadas pelas políticas públicas, e isso se reflete no ambiente alimentar e, consequentemente, na dificuldade de acesso aos alimentos, sobretudo aqueles produzidos de forma sustentável. Objetivo: Caracterizar o acesso físico às feiras de orgânicos municipais em favelas de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, identificando desertos e pântanos alimentares e realizando uma comparação com a disponibilidade, distância e tempo de deslocamento de estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos convencionais nessas áreas. Métodos: Foi analisada a distribuição das feiras de orgânicos municipais, dos equipamentos públicos de segurança alimentar e nutricional e dos estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos cadastrados na Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado de Minas Gerais para o ano de 2019, nos 192 setores censitários localizados em favelas de Belo Horizonte. Para as análises closestfacility e distância de deslocamento, foi utilizado o buffer network de 500 metros. Também foi realizada a análise do tempo de deslocamento utilizando transporte público. Resultados: As feiras de orgânicos municipais estão em menor número e mais distantes dos centroides das favelas. E, além da maior distância para acessar as feiras caminhando, acessá-las por meio de transporte público leva, em geral, um tempo maior de deslocamento. Conclusões: São necessários programas e políticas públicas que incentivem a abertura de feiras de orgânicos e outros tipos de estabelecimentos que ofertam alimentos in natura e minimamente processados que adotem modelos de produção sustentáveis em áreas de favelas, a fim de reduzir as iniquidades de acesso aos alimentos saudáveis e sustentáveis nesse território.

Introduction: Favelas are usually in regions forgotten by public policies, and it reflects on their residents' food environment, as well as on their tough time accessing food, mainly produced through sustainable ways. Objective: Featuring the physical access to municipal organic-food fairs in Belo Horizonte City, Minas Gerais State, based on identifying food deserts and swamps and comparing food availability to distance and displacement time from shops that sell conventional food in these places. Methods: The distribution of organic food municipal fairs, as well as of both food security and nutrition public equipment, and shops selling food that was registered at Minas Gerais State Treasure Secretariat in 2019, located in the 192 census sectors set in Belo Horizonte favelas. The closest facility and displacement distance analyses were based on the 500m buffer network. Displacement time linked to public transportation usage was also analyzed. Results: The number of organic food municipal fairs in favelas is smaller, and favelas are located farther from fairs' centroids. The distance to be crossed to get to fairs on foot in favelas is also longer, and getting to them by public transportation often demands longer displacements. Conclusions: Public programs and policies are needed to encourage new organic fairs and other establishment types capable of providing fresh and minimally processed food in favela areas based on sustainable production models. It must be done to reduce inequities in access to healthy and sustainable food in these territories.

Food security status of households with children aged 0-10 in an urban poor community in Quezon City, Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background@#The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects such as community restrictions, lockdowns, and unemployment have greatly affected the household food security status in urban poor communities leading to poor accessibility of sufficient nutritious food and subsequently affecting the nutrition of children.@*Objectives@#This present study aims to determine the prevalence of household food insecurity in households with children aged 0-10 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban poor community in Quezon City.@*Methodology@#A descriptive cross-sectional study was done to evaluate the food security status and experiences of households amid the COVID-19 pandemic.@*Results@#A total of 405 households were surveyed to answer questions designed to determine their general profile relative to their food security experiences during the pandemic. It was observed that the majority of the households in the urban poor community belong to Class D earning between PhP 8,001.00 - PhP 15,000.00. The heads of these households as well as caregivers mostly belong to the high school graduate level. Based on the conducted survey, it was revealed that 59.5% of the households were severely food insecure (90% CI: 55.4-63.4) and only 4.2% ( 90% CI: 2.8-6.2) were food secure. @*Conclusion@#The prevalence of food insecurity in the urban poor community is determined to be high, with 31.6% households having moderate food insecurity, while only 4.2% households are food secure. The majority of surveyed households were anxious and uncertain about their food supply, and also reported experiencing varying levels of food insecurity related to sufficiency of food quality.

Imbricadas entre as dimensões de acesso e exposição: práticas alimentares de mães na Amazônia ocidental brasileira / Intertwined between the dimensions of access and exposure: eating practices of mothers living in the western Brazilian Amazon

Resumo Este estudo investigou como as condições socioeconômicas de mães que residem na área urbana de Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, interagem com o acesso a alimentos, tendo como foco as motivações envolvidas nas escolhas dos locais de aquisição de alimentos e dos tipos de alimentos adquiridos. Os métodos de produção de dados empregados foram a entrevista em profundidade e observação participante com 20 mulheres, posteriormente classificadas em diferentes grupos socioeconômicos. A partir de análise de conteúdo identificamos quatro principais fatores considerados pelas participantes para pensar os alimentos e seus locais de aquisição: preço, variedade, praticidade e estratégias. Nossos resultados apontam que disparidades socioeconômicas influenciam o acesso a alimentos por meio da valorização de alguns aspectos em detrimento de outros no processo de escolha alimentar, culminando em distintas motivações e formas de aquisição de alimentos. Logo, em um nível local, o acesso aos locais de compra e a aquisição de alimentos são fortemente influenciados pelas condições socioeconômicas, fazendo com que as práticas alimentares de grupos socioeconômicos díspares se diferenciem de forma polarizada, como a valorização de alimentos regionais e a distinção destes em relação aos alimentos "de fora".

Abstract This study investigated how the socioeconomic status of mothers living in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre relates to food access, focusing on the interactions between socioeconomic status and motivations in the process of food choice and food acquisition. Thus the methodological approach chosen to collect data were in-depth interviews and participant observation with 20 women, which were later classified into different socioeconomic status groups. Through a content analysis method, we identified four main factors that mothers considered in the food choice and food acquisition processes: Price, Variety, Convenience, and Strategies. Our results emphasize that socioeconomic inequality influences food access through enhancing some aspects above others in the food choice process, ensuing in different motivations and ways to purchase food. Therefore, on a local level, access to food stores and food acquisition is deeply influenced by socioeconomic status, hence the different socioeconomic status groups' eating practices contrasting very much polarized, such phenomenon is seen by the regional food valorization and the distinction of the regional food compared to the "outside" food.

Vegetable intake frequency is higher among the rural than among the urban or suburban residents, and is partially related to vegetable cultivation, receiving, and purchasing at farmers’ markets: A cross-sectional study in a city within Gunma, Japan / Journal of Rural Medicine

Objectives: This study aimed at identifying the differences in the vegetable intake frequency among rural, suburban, and urban residents. It also intended to estimate the effects of vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and purchasing vegetables at farmers’ markets on the differences in vegetable intake frequency. Based on the results, to promote vegetable intake, we discuss the value of supporting vegetable cultivation in the rural areas.Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study targeting residents aged between 20 and 74, living in three parts of a city within the Gunma prefecture in Japan. The three locations were selected to represent the rural, suburban, and urban areas. We mailed two sets of anonymous self-administered questionnaires to all households in the three areas (a total of 2,260 households, comprising about 1,000 people aged between 20 and 74 in each area). The survey requested information on the vegetable intake frequency, vegetable cultivation, frequency of receiving vegetables, frequency of vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets, the subjective difficulty in food-store access, economic circumstances, health attitudes, and demographic characteristics. We used the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to examine the data obtained.Results: We received 873 responses (from 586 households), of which 90 were irrelevant, thus leaving a sample of 783 residents (257 rural, 259 suburban, 267 urban) available for statistical analysis. The results revealed that the rural residents had significantly greater vegetable intake frequency than the urban and suburban residents did. These regional differences became smaller after the adjustment of the following variables: vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets. No significant difference was observed in the vegetable intake frequency between the rural and urban respondents after this adjustment was made.Conclusions: Vegetable intake frequency was higher in the rural area than in the suburban and urban areas. Vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets were strongly linked to these regional differences.

Estrategias de acceso a los alimentos en los hogares de estrato 1, 2 y 3 de la ciudad de Medellín / Food access strategies at home in low income stratuses 1, 2, 3 in the Medellin area

Los hogares más vulnerables establecen estrategias que garanticen el acceso a los alimentos dependiendo de su situación económica, de razones socioculturales, y de las posibilidades del medio en que habitan. OBJETIVOS: identificar las principales estrategias de acceso a los alimentos, implementadas en los hogares de estratos 1, 2 y 3 de la ciudad de Medellín. METODOLOGIA: abordaje bajo el enfoque cualitativo. El método empleado fue la etnografía focalizada, la cual permitió indagar desde la perspectiva de los sujetos. Se utilizaron como técnicas para recabar información, los grupos focales (14 grupos), entrevistas individuales (10) y grupales (2). RESULTADOS : se encontró que entre las estrategias de acceso a los alimentos implementadas en los hogares de estratos bajos de la ciudad están: el fiado en las tiendas de barrio y la solidaridad de familiares, amigos y vecinos. La estrategia más utilizada por la población desplazada de la ciudad es el ''recorrido'' por expendios de alimentos de las plazas de mercado.

OBJECTIVE:: Homes that are most vulnerable generally establish strategies that can insure to access that is affordable to their own economic conditions, sociocultural characteristics and the opportunities presented by their environment. OBJECTIVE:: identify the main food access strategies implement in low income homes belonging to stratuses 1, 2, 3 in Medellin area. METHODOLOGY qualitative approach. The method employed was applicable etnography which allowed us to inquire through the subjects perspective. Focused groups, one on one and grupal interviews were used as data collection technics. RESULTS : among many of the food access strategies found to be by communities in low level stratuses can be identified: credit on neighborhood groceries stores, relative to relative hand-out, friends, neighbors. The most used strategy found among displaced communities is a ''walk about'' food markets around asking for food supplies.