FOOD INSECURITY AS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND SELF-REPORTED OBESITY IN ADULTS ACROSS BRAZILIAN REGIONS: AN ANALYTICAL CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF 2013 AND 2019
Obesity is recognized as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, characterized by multifactorial causes deeply intertwined with social determinants of health. The complexity of obesity's etiology encompasses genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. Among these, total household income (THI) plays a pivotal role in shaping the access to enough and safe food. This thesis’s objective is to understand whether food insecurity is a mediator among the relationship between total household income and obesity. To investigate that, multivariable logistic regressions were conducted using datasets from the 2013 and 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey. Specific mediation analyses were applied to variables representing food insecurity. The findings revealed a marked increase in obesity prevalence over the analyzed period, with bean consumption identified as a mediating factor in almost all statistically significant models linking THI to obesity. This study concludes that food insecurity plays a mediating role in the relationship between THI and obesity within the Brazilian context. More studies with expanded data collection could be helpful to address the social inequities related to obesity and be useful to guide the creation of new public policies.
Food insecurity, Obesity, Total household income
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