Insegurança alimentar e consumo de alimentos após o rompimento de barragem de rejeitos de mineração em Brumadinho-MG

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Disasters caused by the collapse of mining tailings dams, such as the one in Brumadinho-MG, disrupt the community's health and food systems, potentially distancing them from healthy and sustainable food systems. This can compromise families' Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) and the municipality's food sovereignty. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between the state of Food Insecurity (FI) and the consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods, according to the level of exposure to the Brumadinho tailings dam collapse in Minas Gerais. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the "Brumadinho Health Project," including 2,712 adult individuals (>20 years) allocated into three sample strata: 1) Exposed - households directly affected by the mining tailings dam collapse; 2) Mining Region - households located in areas with mining activity; and 3) Non-Exposed - households located in areas not directly affected by the dam collapse or mining activity. FI was assessed using the short Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA). The frequency of consumption of healthy food markers (fruits and vegetables separately and together - FV; beans and fish) and unhealthy markers (sweets and soda/artificial juice; whole-fat milk, red meat with visible fat, and chicken with skin) was investigated. Regular consumption was defined as eating five or more times a week, except for fish, which was considered any quantity consumed at least once a week. Multivariate Logistic Regression was performed, adjusted for sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: The majority of participants were women (53.6%), of brown/black skin color (59.0%), with an average age of 47.4 years (95% CI: 46.8–48.1). The prevalence of FI was 35.6%, varying by sample stratum (p<0.001): Exposed=21.5%, Mining Region=40.3%, and Non-Exposed=35.9%. After adjustments, FI was found to be associated with regular consumption of FV (OR=1.38; 95% CI: 1.05-1.81) and sodas/artificial juices (OR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.09-2.37). CONCLUSION: A lower prevalence of FI was found among those exposed to the mining dam collapse, likely due to reparative actions, while a higher prevalence was found among those in the Mining Region. FI was associated with poorer dietary patterns, with significance varying by sample stratum. This highlights that reparative actions should also include intersectoral public policies on food supply that promote FNS and serve the entire municipality due to the extent of the damage from socio-environmental disasters like Brumadinho. This work is expected to contribute to the promotion of the Human Right to Adequate Food for the population.