Food Insecurity, Anemia and Vitamin A Deficiency in Brazilian Children Aged between 6 and 59 Months of Age: Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019).

Background: Anemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) can be related to poverty and food insecurity (FI), which can increase risk of stunting and delayed child development. Objectives: This study aims to assess the association between FI and the occurrence of anemia and VAD in Brazilian children aged 6-59 months. Methods: Data from 6020 children from the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (2019) were used. FI was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, classifying households into food security (FS) and FI levels. The outcomes were anemia [hemoglobin <10.5 g/dL (6-23 months) and hemoglobin <11 g/dL (24-59 months)] and VAD (retinol corrected by C-reactive protein <0.7 μmol/L). FI frequencies, anemia, and VAD prevalences were calculated according to FI levels, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and Results: The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe FI was 37.7% (95% CI: 32.0%, 43.4%), 6.2% (95% CI: 4.8%, 7.6%), and 4.2% (95% CI: 3.1%, 5.3%), respectively. The prevalence of anemia was 7.1% (95% CI: 5.9%, 8.3%), and VAD was 3.0% (95% CI: 2.5%, 3.6%). A significant linear trend ( Conclusions: Severe FI was associated with anemia among Brazilian children aged 6-59 months.