Comparison of Consumption of Pulses in Two Seasons of the Year in Chile.

BACKGROUND: In Chile, the consumption of legumes at least two times per week is promoted. However, there is a low consumption of legumes. Therefore, our objective is to describe legume consumption in two different seasonal periods. METHODS: Serial cross-sectional study: surveys were distributed during summer and winter using different digital platforms. Frequency of consumption, purchase access, and preparation type were investigated. RESULTS: In total, 3280 adults were surveyed in summer and 3339 in winter. The mean age was 33 years. Totals of 97.7% and 97.5% of the population reported consuming legumes in both periods; consumption increased to 3 times per week during winter. In both periods, the main reason for their preference is that they are delicious and nutritious, followed by their use as a meat substitute; the main barriers to their consumption in both periods are that they are expensive (29% in summer and 27.8% in winter) and difficult to prepare. CONCLUSION: A good consumption of legumes was observed, but with a higher frequency of consumption during winter, with an intake of ≥1 per day; additionally, differences were found in purchases according to season, although no differences were found in the method of preparation.

Consumption of Pulses among Chilean Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The aim of the present study was to compare the frequency of consumption, access to purchase, and type of preparations with pulses among people who eat a vegetarian/vegan or non-vegetarian diet during the COVID-19 pandemic.Cross-sectional surveys were distributed using different digital platforms and social networks. We investigated the frequency of consumption, access to purchase any type of preparations. Descriptive analyses were performed. Differences between the types of diet were tested by Chi-squared statistics.A total of 3339 adults participated in the survey in March 2021, 80% of the total participants were females; 13.6% were vegetarian or vegan (VV). The consumption of pulses increased by 25% among non-vegetarians and 54.5% in VV (p by 25% among non-vegetarians and 54.5% in VV (vey in March 2021, 80% of the total participants were females; 13.6% were vegetarian or vegan (VV). The consumption of pulses preparations. Descriptive analyses were performfood with high satiating power, when compared with the opinions of non-vegetarians (p ood with high satiating power, when cconsumption of pulses were observed in less than 30% of the respondents, but the percentage was lower among VV, the most common negative beliefs are "They are difficult to prepare" and "My family does not like them." Food preparations including pulses are more diverse among VV, and consumption being significantly higher in the 10 alternatives of preparations included in the study.These results highlight the importance of identifying the knowledge, practices, frequency, and preferences of consumption of legumes in the population to stimulate their consumption. Although we observed an increase in the consumption of legumes among those in the sample, the VV group showed a higher frequency of consumption, consumption of different types of legumes and varied preparation, and greater knowledge about the beneficial properties of legumes.

Alimentación familiar e indicadores antropométricos en escolares de una unidad educativa urbana, Quito, Ecuador / Family nutrition and anthropometric indicators in schoolchildren of an urban educational unit, Quito, Ecuador

La malnutrición infantil es un problema de salud pública. La investigación tuvo el objetivo de determinar la asociación entre los indicadores antropométricos de los escolares (talla, peso e índice de masa corporal) y la alimentación de padres o tutores legales de los menores, en una institución educativa de la ciudad de Quito, Ecuador, durante diciembre de 2019. El estudio tuvo un enfoque cuantitativo y de tipo observacional, descriptivo y de corte transversal, en el que participaron 38 escolares con edades de 5 a 11 años (20 niños y 18 niñas) y los 32 respectivos padres o tutores legales. El 68,75% de los padres requería hacer cambios hacia una alimentación saludable, el 68,42% de los niños presentaban talla normal, el 23.68% de los niños tenía riesgo de sobrepeso. Los valores p de la prueba Tau C de Kendall fueron mayores que 0,05, no existiendo relación entre las variables estudiadas. Se concluyó que la mayoría de los padres o tutores legales requerían mejorar la calidad de su nutrición. La mayoría de los escolares tenía sobrepeso o riesgo de padecerlo; así como, talla normal. No existió asociación estadísticamente significativa entre la alimentación de los progenitores y el índice de masa corporal.

Child malnutrition is a public health problem. This research aimed to determine the association between the anthropometric indicators of schoolchildren (height, weight, and body mass index) and the nutrition of parents or legal guardians of minors, in an educational institution in the city of Quito, Ecuador, during December 2019. The study had a quantitative and observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional approach, in which 38 schoolchildren aged 5 to 11 years (20 boys and 18 girls) and 32 parents (or legal guardians) participated. 68.75% of the parents requi-red to make changes towards a healthy diet, 68.42% of the children had normal height, 23.68% of the children were at risk of being overweight. The p values of the Kendall Tau C test were greater than 0.05, with no relationship between the variables studied. It was concluded that most of the parents or legal guardians needed to improve the quality of their nutrition. Most of the schoolchildren were overweight or at risk of being overweight, as well as normal size. There was no statistically significant association between the parents' diet and body mass index

Cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos para niños de zonas rurales costeras del Ecuador: Construcción, validez relativa y calibración

RESUMEN Los Cuestionarios de Frecuencia de Consumo de Alimentos son herramientas de investigación ampliamente utilizadas a nivel poblacional para evaluar la ingesta alimentaria, especialmente en niños. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron construir y determinar la validez relativa del Cuestionario de Frecuencia de Consumo de Alimentos (CFCA) para la evaluación de la ingesta entre niños ecuatorianos en edad escolar. Fueron incluidos 100 niños entre 6 y 8 años de edad de zonas costeras rurales del Ecuador. Las madres completaron 1 CFCA y 2 Recordatorios de 24 horas (R24h, estándar oro). Se utilizaron correlaciones de Pearson, Kappa ponderado y el método de Bland Altman para evaluar su validez. Se aplicaron modelos de regresión lineal incluyendo el R24h como variable dependiente y CFCA como variable independiente para derivar factores de calibración. Los coeficientes de Pearson oscilaron entre -0,03 y 0,24. Los valores de Kappa variaron entre -0,05 y 0,24, los gráficos de Bland-Altman se encuentran entre los límites cerca de la línea media y los factores de calibración oscilaron entre -0,01 a 0,16. Después de aplicar los factores de calibración, las ingestas medias de energía, macro y micro nutrientes fueron similares a las obtenidas en el R24h. El CFCA fue considerado apropiado para evaluar consumo de energía y nutrientes, sin embargo, debido a su concordancia débil a moderada este debe ser corregido mediante los valores de calibración. Asimismo, este CFCA es una herramienta útil para la evaluación de la dieta y la relación entre la dieta y la enfermedad en este grupo poblacional.

ABSTRACT Food frequency questionnaires are research tools widely used at the population level to assess food intake, especially in childhood. The objectives of this study were to develop and determine the relative validity of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for the evaluation of food intake among Ecuadorian schoolchildren. One hundred children from rural coastal areas of Ecuador, aged 6 to 8 years, were included. Mothers completed 1 FFQ frequency and two 24-hour recalls (R24h gold standard). Pearson correlation, weighted Kappa and the Bland Altman method were used to assess validity. Linear regression models were used including R24h as a dependent variable and FFQ as an independent variable to derive calibration factors. The Pearson coefficients ranged between -0.03 and 0.24. The Kappa values varied between -0.05 and 0.24, the Bland-Altman plots were between the limits near the midline and the calibration factors ranged from -0.01 to 0.16. The FFQ was considered appropriate to evaluate energy and nutrient consumption, however, due to its weak to moderate agreement this must be corrected using calibration values. This FFQ is a useful tool for evaluating diet and the relationship between diet and disease in this population group.

Growth patterns in early childhood: Better trajectories in Afro-Ecuadorians independent of sex and socioeconomic factors.

The first years of life are the most dynamic period for childhood growth. There are limited data available on growth patterns of infants and children living in rural Latin America. The aim of this study was to describe the growth patterns from birth to 5years in children living in a rural District of tropical coastal Ecuador using data from a birth cohort of 2404 neonates. We hypothesize that there would be growth differences according to ethnicity and sex. Evaluations were conducted at birth or until 2weeks of age and at 7, 13, 24, 36 and 60months during clinic and home visits. Individual growth trajectories for weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight/height-for-age Z-scores were estimated using multilevel models. Girls were lighter and shorter than boys at birth. However, Afro-Ecuadorian children (versus mestizo or indigenous) were longer/taller and heavier throughout the first 5years of life and had greater mean trajectories for HAZ and WAZ independent of sex and socioeconomic factors. Our data indicate that ethnicity is a determinant of growth trajectories during the first 5years of life independent of socioeconomic factors in a birth cohort conducted in a rural region of Latin America.