Author:

• João Henrique Rabelo Câmara - Câmara, J. H. R. - <joaonutri10@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2963-8804

Co-author(s):

• István Van Deursen Varga - Varga, I. V. D. - <istvan.varga@ufma.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3171-1748
• Maria Tereza Borges Araújo Frota - Frota, M. T. B. A - <mariaterezafrota@gmail.com>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6889-5785
• Hilton Pereira da Silva - Silva, H. P. - <hilton.silva@unb.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3287-3522

Abstract:

This study examined food insecurity in the quilombola community of Imbiral Cabeça-Branca, in Maranhão, Brazil, during the Covid-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the last quarter of 2021, involving 25 household headsthe community. The majority of participants were women (52.0%) with low educational attainment. They experienced a high unemployment rate (68.0%), and 76.0% received federal Auxílio Emergencial (emergency aid program). The average household density was four people, and houses were predominantly made of taipa, lacking basic sanitation. The consumed water cameartisanal wells, and the majority of houses had access to electricity. Food insecurity was identified in all families, with 12.0% classified as Mild, 24.0% as Moderate, and 64.0% as Severe. The severe form was more common in households headed by single men (75%), the elderly, individuals with low educational attainment (78.7%), and the unemployed (64.7%). This food insecurity in the quilombola community, as well as in other similar communities in the country, is a result of precarious living conditions, unemployment, food deprivation, and lack of land titling. These factors also contribute to the perpetuation of institutional and environmental racism faced by these communities.

Keywords:

Health of Ethnic Minorities, Quilombola Communities, Food Insecurity, COVID-19

Content:

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