Objective: Examining the relationship between family income and daily b-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E consumption amongst children in the city of João Pessoa / PB, Brazil.
Method: One hundred and eighty-three children aged 2 to <10 years were evaluated, in a sample stratified by income level which was representative of the population of Joao Pessoa. The research instrument consisted of questionnaires addressing socio-economic, demographic, epidemiological, anthropometric and food consumption variables. The results were analysedby using R software, using descriptive (mean, median, standard-deviation, simple and relative frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression).
Results: Participants were predominantly male (55 %) from income classes E (up to US$ 428.64) and C (> US$ 622.31-US$ 2,682.93) and mothers who had studied for nine years or more. Regarding vitamin intake, there was low vitamin C inadequacy (8 %) and high vitamin E inadequacy (59 %), the latter being more frequent in the 4-8 year-old age group (33 % of children). There was an inverse correlation between income and energy intake (r=-0.1525, p<0.05) and between income and vitamin E consumption (r=-0.3, p<0.05). The relationship between income and maternal education (p<0.05), between income and b-carotene consumption and between income and vitamin C consumption was significantly positive (r=0.33 and r=0.28, respectively, p<0.05).
Conclusion: It was concluded that consuming vitamins having antioxidant properties was positively related to family income regarding vitamin C and b-carotene and negatively related regarding vitamin E and calories.