Veganism, cuisine, and class: exploring taste as a facilitator in adopting a vegan lifestyle in Santiago, Chile.

Introduction: Veganism is a movement that avoids consuming animal products. This lifestyle is commonly represented as elitist despite the broad range of people who follow it. Using Bourdieu's taste theory, this study analyzes how personal culinary tastes of different social classes generate favorable (or unfavorable) dispositions to adopting veganism. Methods: We analyzed 73 biographical interviews with 40 young vegans in three different waves. Results: The findings reveal that all social classes exhibit favorable dispositions towards veganism. In upper-class individuals, dispositions to embrace healthy and exotic food facilitate the adoption of new flavors and reflexivity in eating practices. Conversely, lower-class individuals have traditional meatless culinary practices rooted in their restricted budget, facilitating the transition to a plant-based diet. Discussion: These results demonstrate the relevance of social class in understanding the diversity of vegan practices, and they contribute to breaking stereotypes around this movement.

A longitudinal study monitoring the quality of life in a national cohort of older adults in Chile before and during the COVID-19 outbreak.

BACKGROUND: Confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic has placed great stress on older adults, which may be affecting their quality of life. Thus, this study aims to describe the changes in mental and physical health, isolation and loneliness, residence and socioeconomic resources in a national cohort of Chilean older adults before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. It also analyzes the changes in depressive symptoms by changes in the other quality of life indicators before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Possible methodological biases of telephone surveys in older adults living in non-developed countries are also discussed. METHODS: Between June and September 2020, a random subsample of 720 people who had participated in the face-to-face V National Survey on Quality of Life in Older Adults in Chile conducted at the end of 2019 was followed up by telephone. Descriptive bivariate analyses were performed using t-test and non-parametric tests for independent variables, comparing the baseline sample with the current 2020 follow-up sample during the peak of the pandemic outbreak in Latin America. Furthermore, descriptive bivariate analysis through t-test and non-parametric test for paired samples compared the follow-up subsample at baseline with the not-included sample, examining possible biases of the telephone interview compared with the face-to-face interview. RESULTS: In the panel, there was no variation in self-rated health. The health symptoms that worsened were memory, stomach, and mood problems. Depressive symptoms and anxiety increased; similarly, smartphone users, social contacts, intergenerational co-residence and resilience increased. The telephone follow-up sample had a higher educational level and greater smartphone use than those not included in the subsample. CONCLUSIONS: Although some physical and mental health indicators have worsened during the pandemic, older adults mobilized resources that could allow them to maintain their quality of life, such as improved resilience. Thus, these findings can guide future research and the development of efficient strategies to improve these resources among older adults to ensure wellbeing.

Meal synchronization and commensality in Santiago and Paris.

People eat on a regular schedule, at times that are shared within a society, and with others. While this phenomenon is theoretically formulated in sociological literature, few empirical studies have tested it, and the available evidence is incomplete. Against this backdrop, this article analyzes the association between meal synchronization and commensality using representative survey data in Santiago and Paris. We hypothesize that commensality influences having meals on a regular schedule because sharing a meal with others needs synchronization. Nevertheless, the strength of this association might be different across the two metropolises given the singular social value of gastronomy in French culture. Using logistic and multinomial regression models, we find that in both metropolises, sharing meals with others more frequently is positively associated with having meals in synchronized timeslots. Next, we find differences between Santiago and Paris. In Paris, commensality is associated with synchronization in all three shared timeslots, and in Santiago, in the midday and the evening slots. Besides, in Paris, sociodemographic characteristics have a stronger effect on synchronization than in Santiago. We interpret those differences as explained by variations in the social norms around food practices. Ultimately, our findings contribute to challenging the thesis of food modernity from an empirical and global perspective.

Family meals in Santiago de Chile: An analysis of the role of family, gender and social class in commensality.

Family meals are part of the social reproduction process of "making a family", but few studies have been performed outside Europe or North America and few of them have considered different family arrangements and cultural scenarios. This study aimed to examine how socio-demographic characteristics influence the probability of eating with family members only, drawing on the case of Santiago, Chile. In this study we analyze the commensal practices of 625 adults living in Santiago, and explore how these practices are influenced by family structure and social background. Respondents kept a seven-days food journal recording what they ate, when, where and with whom, resulting in 14,085 recorded food events (average 3.2 foods per day per person). Logistic regressions were estimated predicting the probability of eating with family members. The results showed that a high percentage of food events, namely, 63% of them, took place with family members only. Moreover, the probability of eating with family members differed between meals when considering different socio-demographics characteristics: working status and sex were more significant for breakfasts and lunches, while social class and the presence of children only gained importance for lunches and evening meals. On the other hand, the existence of a partner of the head of household was the most significant variable in predicting family meals, which can be associated with the feeling of "making a family" that family meals provide. Finally, unlike international evidence, in Santiago the working class is more likely to eat with family members only, compared to the service class. These findings reveal the importance of studying family commensality in different cultural scenarios, where other contextual or structural mechanisms could be operating when family meals take place.

La estructura y las características socio-demográficas de los eventos alimentarios en Santiago de Chile / The structure and the socio-demographic characteristic of eating events in Santiago de Chile

RESUMEN El objetivo de este artículo fue caracterizar y describir la estructura socio-demográfica de los eventos alimentarios efectuados por adultos en Santiago de Chile. A partir de datos de la Encuesta de Comensalidad en Adultos de la Región Metropolitana y de un análisis estadístico descriptivo, se observó que la gran mayoría de los encuestados declara tomar desayuno (94,4%) y almuerzo (93,5), mientras que 56,9% toma once y sólo un 39,4% de la muestra declara comer al menos un snack durante el día. El consumo de estos distintos tipos de comidas se diferenció según variables socio-demográficas. A su vez se identificó que los adultos declararon mayormente comidas estructuradas, realizadas en "lugares para comer", en compañía y con una implantación horaria importante. Este artículo contribuye a la discusión sobre la modernidad alimentaria, mostrando evidencia en contra de esta teoría según la cual habría una disminución de las regulaciones sociales que pesan sobre la alimentación.

ABSTRACT The objective of this article was to characterize and describe the socio-demographic structure of eating events carried out by adults in Santiago, Chile. Based on data from the Survey of Commensality in Adults of the Metropolitan Region and a descriptive statistical analysis, it was observed that the majority of adults report eating breakfast (94.4%) and lunch (93.5%), while only 56.9% have a teatime and 39.4 % declare eat snacks in the day. Eating these different types of meals differed according to socio-demographic variables. In addition, it was observed that adults report having structured meals, in places designated for eating, with others during specific times. This article contributes to the discussion on alimentary modernity, showing evidence against this theory according to which there would be a decrease in social regulations that influence eating habits.

La comida en familia: La idealización de un evento social / The family meal: An idealization of a social event

RESUMEN Ante las alarmantes cifras de obesidad, se han implementado distintas estrategias de salud pública que tienen por objetivo modificar los hábitos de las personas y así combatir la obesidad. Una de las estrategias utilizadas para esto, ha sido la promoción de la comida en familia. Sin embargo, distintas investigaciones cuestionan los beneficios asociados a ésta. En este artículo realizamos una revisión de la literatura que investiga la comida en familia, distinguiendo tres corrientes principales: aquellas que enfatizan las funciones de ésta, las que analizan sus estructuras sociales y las que la consideran como resultado de un estilo de vida. Con esta revisión de los principales lineamientos teóricos, argumentamos cómo la comida en familia es una institución idealizada, discusión que busca contribuir al debate de las futuras intervenciones de salud que tienen por objetivo modificar los hábitos de salud de las personas.

ABSTRACT Faced with alarming obesity figures, various public health strategies that aim to change the habits of people and combat obesity have been implemented. One strategy has been promoting family meals. However, various studies question the benefits associated with this strategy. This article presents a review of the literature investigating the family meal. We present three primary perspectives: those that emphasize function, those that discuss social structure and articles that consider the family meal as a result of lifestyle. In this review of the main theoretical guidelines, we argue that the family meal is an idealized institution, a discussion that seeks to contribute to the debate of future health interventions that aim to change people's health habits.

The dimensions and role of commensality: A theoretical model drawn from the significance of communal eating among adults in Santiago, Chile.

This article examines the significance of communal eating among adults from Santiago, Chile, by elaborating on a theoretical model for commensality that is based on empirical material. Based on this objective, 24 group interviews were conducted in Santiago with family members, coworkers, and friends who shared meals with one another. The results showed that the practice of commensality strengthens the cohesion among the members of a group, providing an interactive space in which communal belonging is symbolized and shared norms are respected. However, eating together also is assigned an ambiguous value: On the one hand, commensality is viewed as positive in enabling connections with others. On the other hand, participating in commensality can be viewed as negative, causing tensions depending on the characteristics of the commensal group and the context.