Children along the river are smaller and weigh less, the study says

“It is urgent that local and national governments prioritize this data and, in collaboration with civil society and universities, develop public policies to ensure the sovereignty and health of indigenous peoples. [?]. “Protecting riverside people, in itself, is a solution to mitigate climate change, as their way of life contributes to preserving the environment.”

For Silva, it is necessary to monitor the quality of food available to this population. “There is a quantitative issue but also a qualitative issue related to calories. This is an important debate. The food that arrives often contains sufficient calories, but of low quality, and from here we have the problem of obesity and overweight in adults,” the nutritionist explains in this context. . “This suggests that these families may be food insecure, with low-quality, ultra-processed foods,” he explains.

Historical neglect

“Unfortunately, the situation of traditional peoples and communities is not new, in which indicators of health, quality and life expectancy of individuals are lower than those of the rest of society,” says sociologist Rogério Baptistini Méndez, professor at the University of Presbyteriana Mackenzie.

For him, thislegacy “Brazilian formation.” “To date, Brazil has not been able to solve the social problems it inherited, and despite the progress it has made in restoring democracy [?] And the 1988 Constitution, the difficulty of implementing them is enormous,” he analyzes, and categorizes the data brought by the research as “a real disaster,” but “it is not surprising.”

“Despite the existing institutional and legal framework, defensive statements on vulnerable and marginalized populations have been nothing more than rhetorical outbursts and messages of good intentions, the implementation of which can hardly prevent bad practical outcomes,” criticizes Mendes. He added, “Poverty, hunger and malnutrition, with all their consequences, show how backward Brazil is.”