Food environment in a socially vulnerable territory in Piraquara-PR

Abstract

The food environment is a fundamental concept to understand how the social context influences eating behaviors. It refers to the set of physical, economic, and social factors that affect access and availability of food in a given region. The objective of this study was to evaluate the food environment in the areas covered by two basic health units in a socially vulnerable region in the municipality of Piraquara, metropolitan region of Curitiba-PR. The food environment was mapped based on an active search, both virtual and in the territory, of any establishments selling food in the areas covered by the health units. One hundred twenty two establishments were identified. There was a predominance of unhealthy food establishments in the evaluated region (62.2%), a small number of establishments selling healthy foods (9.8%), and a high concentration of any type of establishment around two main roads in the region, leaving large areas with greater difficulty of access. In this context, the importance of creating Food and Nutrition Security equipment in the municipality is highlighted, which promotes the guarantee of physical and economic access to adequate and healthy food for families, especially in areas of socioeconomic vulnerability.