Impact of the Bolsa Família program on food availability of low-income Brazilian families: a quasi experimental study.

Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins,Carlos Augusto Monteiro

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3486-y

Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins, Carlos Augusto Monteiro

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3486-y

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Abstract

BackgroundThe Bolsa Família Program was created in Brazil in 2003, by the joint of different social programs aimed at poor or very poor families with focus on income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief, conditionalities and complementary programs. Given the contributions of conditional cash transfer programs to poverty alleviation and their potential effects on nutrition and health, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of the Bolsa Família Program on food purchases of low-income households in Brazil.MethodsRepresentative data from the Household Budget Survey conducted in 2008–2009 were studied, with probabilistic sample of 55,970 households. 11,282 households were eligible for this study and 48.5 % were beneficiaries of the BFP. Food availability indicators were compared among paired blocks of households (n = 100), beneficiaries or non-beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program, with monthly per capita income up to R$ 210.00. Blocks of households were created based on the propensity score of each household to have beneficiaries and were homogeneous regarding potential confounding variables. The food availability indicators were weekly per capita expenditure and daily energy consumption, both calculated considering all food items and four food groups based on the extent and purpose of the industrial food processing. The comparisons between the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries blocks of households were conducted through paired ‘t’ tests.ResultsCompared to non-beneficiaries, the beneficiaries households had 6 % higher food expenditure (p = 0.015) and 9.4 % higher total energy availability (p = 0.010). It was found a 7.3 % higher expenditure on in natura or minimally processed foods and 10.4 % higher expenditure on culinary ingredients among the Bolsa Família Program families. No statistically significant differences were found regarding the expenditure and the availability of processed and ultra-processed food and drink products. In the in natura or minimally processed foods group, the expenditure and the availability of meat, tubers and vegetables were higher among the Bolsa Família Program beneficiaries.ConclusionThe Bolsa Família Program impact on food availability among low-income families was higher food expenditure, higher availability of fresh foods and culinary ingredients, including those foods that increase diet’s quality and diversity.

Highlights

The Bolsa Família Program was created in Brazil in 2003, by the joint of different social programs aimed at poor or very poor families with focus on income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief, conditionalities and complementary programs
The Bolsa Família Program (BFP) has three main focus: the income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief; conditionalities that reinforce the access to basic social rights in education, health and social care; and complementary programs aimed at the families development, so that they are able to overcome the vulnerability
From the individual income records of the Household Budget Survey (HBS), the “beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program” were identified as all households in which a resident declared to receive any monetary value from the Bolsa Família Program for the period of 12 months prior to data collection

Summary

Introduction

The Bolsa Família Program was created in Brazil in 2003, by the joint of different social programs aimed at poor or very poor families with focus on income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief, conditionalities and complementary programs. Conditioned cash transfer programs (CCTP) were conceived with the purpose of expanding the guarantee of social protection, fighting poverty and reducing social inequalities They are based on monthly cash transfers to low-income families, conditioned to the beneficiaries’ fulfillment of an agenda in the areas of health, education and social services [1, 2]. The BFP has three main focus: the income transfer to promote immediate poverty relief; conditionalities that reinforce the access to basic social rights in education, health and social care; and complementary programs aimed at the families development, so that they are able to overcome the vulnerability.

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