Characteristics of the community food environment and home surroundings of households beneficiaries of the "Bolsa Família" (family aid) program

Abstract

Knowing the food environment to which the households benefiting from the Bolsa Familia Program (PBF) are exposed is necessary to identify exposure to environments that favor worse food choices. This work aimed to characterize the community food environment of the urban area of the municipality of Ouro Preto (MG), Brazil, and the surroundings of the homes of households that are beneficiaries of the PBF. This ecological study was conducted with data from the Single Registry and the State Treasury Department Systems, both from 2014, and from the 2010 Census. Spatial analyses were conducted to evaluate the clusters of beneficiary households and establishments. The peripheral and with lower per capita income census tracts (CTs) had little or no establishment for food sales, and greater agglomeration of PBF beneficiary households closer to unhealthy establishments (median: 65.73 meters). There was a higher concentration of - mainly unhealthy - food sales establishments in the central CTs and higher per capita income (59.2%). Given the above, it becomes important to dialogue with other nutrition-related public policies to reduce inequalities and improve physical access to healthy food sales establishments.