Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Brazilian Community Restaurants for the Dimension of Low-Income People Access to Food.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community restaurants (CRs), managed by the Government of the State of Bahia/Brazil, for the dimension of access to food. The study used secondary data obtained from the public opinion survey Profile of users of community restaurants in Salvador. The nutritional information was accessed through the analysis of CRs' menus. Adequate effectiveness of access to food was considered when the CR served meals to 50% to 70% of the users considered the target audience (individuals served by the two CRs located in the city of Salvador/Bahia/Brazil). The participants (n = 1464; 778 as low-income individuals) were adult CR users from Salvador/Brazil. Most of the respondents were male, 40 to 54 years old, not white, had up to 9 years of formal education, without a partner, and living in the municipality of Salvador. The evaluated CRs are effective in serving 53.1% of the target population in their total service capacity. Meal provision only reached an estimated 0.7% of the socially vulnerable community in the district. The average energy value of the meal served by the CR units was 853.05 kcal/meal, with a mean energy density composition classified as average (1.15 kcal/g). The effectiveness of the evaluated community restaurants showed that these instruments were minimally effective in promoting access to food for the low-income population within their total daily service capacity, and the current quantity of these facilities was insufficient. However, these instruments stand out in the fundamental role of promoting the daily distribution of meals to the Brazilian population with the highest social vulnerability levels.

Avaliaçäo ex-post de três programas de intervençäo nutricional: gente da gente I, gente da gente II e prodea / Evaluation of three nutritional interventions implemented in the Northeast of Brazil between 90/November and 94/December

O objetivo da pesquisa foi avaliar três intervençöes nutricionais implementadas, no Nordeste do Brasil, entre nov/90 e dez/94: (Gente da Gente)GG-I, GG-II e Programa Emergencial de Alimentos (PRODEA). Com diferentes desenhos e mecanismos operacionais, visavam distribuir, gratuito e mensalmente, alimentos às famílias vitimadas pela seca, tendo em comum, o uso de gêneros, em vias de deterioraçäo, dos Estoques Governamentais de Alimentos (EGA). O aporte nutricional do GG-I, GG-II e PRODEA foi, respectivamente: energia 22,01 por cento; 21,63 por cento; e 16,31 por cento. Proteína: 22,98 por cento; 22,64 por cento; e 19,24 por cento. Fe: 22,09 por cento; 28,22 por cento; e 24,05 por cento. Vitamina A: 1,05 por cento; 0,72 por cento e 0,47 por cento. Os gastos por nutriente, em dólar, foi, respectivamente: Kcal (x1000) 0,24; 0,07; e 0,11. Proteína (gx1000): 11,66; 3,12; e 4,53. Fe (mg x1000): 46,26; 9,57; e 14,15. Vitamina A (ug RE x1000): 14,28; 5,47; e 10,51. Fez-se uso de documentos acadêmicos e governamentais e entrevistas. Determinou-se o aporte com base na Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) de 1989. As famílias foram caracterizadas a partir das PNADs 1990 e 1993. Determinou-se a composiçäo dos alimentos a partir da Tabela do IBGE de 1996 e os gastos foram convertidos em dólar americano e corrigidos para dezembro de 1994. Os resultados apontaram o GG-II como o melhor Programa, com menor custo operacional e maior aporte. Constatou-se, ainda, nas três Intervençöes, recorrência em açöes intermitentes e descontinuadas em algumas regiöes, e ausência de metas ou expressäo nutricionais, apesar do notório quadro carencial