Nutritional economics in Brazil: how the demographic transition affects dietary patterns

• Grant number: 24/22031-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Social Welfare Economics
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Gori Maia
• Grantee: João Pedro Simões Magro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Economia (IE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (FEEC)
• Associated research grant: 20/09838-0 - BI0S - Brazilian Institute of Data Science, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The Brazilian population has undergone profound and recent changes, such as the rapid demographic transition and an increase in the prevalence of malnutrition - obesity and malnutrition. This thesis examines the effects of demographic changes on the pattern of consumption and investigates how public policies for specific socio-demographic groups mediate this relationship. The thesis has three objectives: to assess the impact of younger children on household food choices; to examine how household age composition affects food consumption; to evaluate how public direct income transfer policies - Bolsa Família and Federal Retirement - affect food consumption. The research applies quasi-experimental strategies, deepening understanding of the causal relationships between public policies, demographic factors and food consumption. In addition to studying the impacts of rapid demographic changes on the pattern of the nutritional transition, this thesis will contribute to an understanding of how public policies can mitigate these impacts.