Socioeconomic inequalities in the food consumption of the elderly Brazilian population: National Health Survey, 2019

Food consumption, when performed in an unhealthy manner, has consequences for the health of individuals, such as a higher incidence of excess weight and the exacerbation of pre-existing chronic diseases. The scope of this article was to assess summary inequalities in food consumption among the elderly population in Brazil. It involved a cross-sectional study, with data from the 2019 National Health Survey. The following outcomes were evaluated: consumption of beans, greens/vegetables, fruit, milk, meat, soda, candies and salt. The main exposure variable was education. An adjusted analysis was conducted and two indices were also used to measure inequality: the slope index (SII) and the concentration index (CIX). A total of 43,554 elderly people were investigated. It was identified that the more educated were 80% more likely to consume vegetables, fruit and milk, while the consumption of beans and meat was up to 50% lower among the less educated. The analyses of relative and absolute inequality reinforce the lower consumption of foods considered healthy among the less educated elderly individuals. The results reveal inequalities in food consumption among the elderly, with greater magnitude in food recognized as being healthy.