OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine household food availability in Gameleira (PE) and São João do Tigre (PB), municipalities in the abovementioned regions, taking into account the frequency of food consumption, number of people per household, and education level of the head of the household. METHODS: The sample consisted of 502 and 458 families in Gameleira (PE) and São João do Tigre (PB), respectively, living in both urban and rural areas. Information on food consumption during the seven days prior to the interview was provided by the person in charge of preparing the meals. RESULTS: The number of available food types was 34 in Gameleira and 30 in São João de Tigre for more than 20% of the families in Gameleira (PE) and had 33 and 30 different food items per household, respectively; yet 50% of the households in both municipalities had as few as 16 and 15 different food items per household, respectively. The food items available in most households were high-energy foods belonging to the grain and legume groups, instead of other vegetables, fruits and animal source foods. Basically, the number of people per household and the education level of the head of the household did not affect food availability. CONCLUSION: Government efforts to fight hunger should focus on promoting an increase in the quality and quantity of food items per household.
Feeding; Food consumption; Diet; Socioeconomic factors; Nutrition survey
