Perception of the Food Environment and Food Security Levels of Residents of the City of Rio de Janeiro

The way individuals perceive and interact with the food environment can contribute to a higher prevalence of food insecurity (FI). Objective: To evaluate the perception of the food environment and its association with FI in households in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study. The survey was conducted with a sample of 2000 households, a representative stratified sample, with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points and a 95% confidence interval (CI95%) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The studies were evaluated using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA). Perceptions of the food environment were measured by assessing the perceived availability, price, and quality of fruits and vegetables (FVs) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) sold in the neighborhood. To analyze the association between stage variations and the perceived food environment, we conducted multinomial logistic regression, considering a 95%CI. Results: Household heads in Rio de Janeiro perceive that both FVs and UPFs are available in their neighborhoods. However, UPFs are perceived as cheaper and more diverse than FVs, regardless of the level of food safety. In the association analysis, a greater relative risk ratio was found for heads of households who perceive an unfavorable scenario in the food environment for FVs, in terms of availability (RRR = 5.6; 95%IC: 3.0–10.4), quality (RRR = 4.5; 95%IC: 2.6–7.9), and price (RRR = 2.5; 95%IC: 1.7–3.6), to experience a situation of moderate/severe FI. Conclusions: The way individuals interact with and perceive their territories can reflect on access to adequate and healthy food, especially in households in a situation of FI.