Nutritional Status of the adult population in the Bolsa Família Program in Curitiba, State of Paraná, Brazil.

BACKGROUND

The Bolsa Família Program is the largest program of conditional cash transfer in Brazil, and its major goal is to reverse the current food insecurity. In spite of that, there are few studies that show the development of nutritional status for this population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the nutritional status of the adult population enrolled in the Bolsa Família program, in the municipality of Curitiba, PR.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional, population-based study, performed in the health districts of the city of Curitiba, Parana, in the period from July 2006 to July 2007. We interviewed 747 adults, 18 years of age and over, of both sexes, living in the catchment area of the basic healthcare units in the city. To assess the nutritional status of this population, we measured weight (kg), height (cm), and waist circumference (WC) and calculated the body mass index. They were asked about age, marital status, occupation, number of household members, origin, and years of schooling. The association between excessive weight, waist circumference and sociodemographic co-variables was assessed by unconditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

About 40% of the population was considered of normal weight and 27.1% obese, according to BMI standards. Analyzing waist circumference data, 48.2% have measures that show a much greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Significant statistical association occurred between BMI increase and age (OR = 2.16; CI 95%: 1.57-2.96), sex (OR = 0.57; CI 95%: 0.33-0.97) and marital status (OR = 1.40; CI 95%: 1.03-1.88). A significant association was observed between waist circumference and age (OR = 2.93; IC 95%: 2.13-4.02) and sex.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the population presented excessive weight and abdominal fat, risks for cardiovascular diseases. The results point towards the need to build and implement regional diet public policies.