[Dietary and physical activity practices and preferences in children: An approach from school parliaments in educational public establishments]. / Prácticas y preferencias alimentarias y de actividad física en niños y niñas: Una aproximación desde los Parlamentos Escolares en establecimientos educacionales.

In Chile, overnutrition continues to increase, especially affecting children. Solving this public health problem requires the development of promotion and prevention strategies that consider the suggestions of the communities, especially those of the children themselves. OBJECTIVE: To know the opinions and suggestions of third and fourth-grade children from schools in the southern area of Santiago, Chile, regarding their eating practices and physical activity, as part of the FONDEF IT 1810016 project. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Seven School Meetings were held in seven schools using a participatory qualitative methodology, collecting the opinions of 176 children regarding both their food and physical activity habits and preferences. RESULTS: The most consumed and preferred foods are those easy to prepare and highly available, such as bread, pasta, and milk. Foods that require preparation or are less available, such as fish, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and homemade preparations, are less consumed and have less preference. Regarding physical activities, video games and soccer stand out. Students propose increasing the hours of physical education and recesses and improving the availability and access to healthy foods in school environments as a solution strategy. CONCLUSIONS: School Meetings as a participatory strategy contribute to the joint generation of knowledge. The need to include communities as participants in health initiatives recognizes, through their role, children as subjects of rights.

Development and Validation of a Set of Instruments to Measure Food Environments.

BACKGROUND: There is worldwide interest in measuring local food environments (FEs). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a set of instruments to evaluate FEs in Chile. METHODS: Based on the development and validation of four instruments to measure FEs, a literature review, an evaluation by experts, and the implementation of a pilot tool in the FEs of schoolchildren from nine public schools in the commune of Chillán, Chile, were used. RESULTS: A tool to evaluate FEs was provided, based on three dimensions: availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods. A total of 1928 foods points of purchase were evaluated. The reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha. Some 74% of the foods' points of purchase were store locations. The reliability of the four instruments was high to acceptable (store: 0.90; institution: 0.77; street food: 0.74; restaurant: 0.68). Unhealthy foods were highlighted by the scores obtained: store (6.08 ± 4.07; range: 0-13), restaurant (3.95 ± 1.75; range: 0-10), street food (1.18 ± 1.56; range: 0-7), and institution FEs (3.38 ± 2.78; range: 0-9). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this tool can provide information to governments for incorporating structural measures to ensure adequate availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods in different FEs.

Food Availability in Different Food Environments Surrounding Schools in a Vulnerable Urban Area of Santiago, Chile: Exploring Socioeconomic Determinants.

The analysis of the food environment is used to identify areas with gaps in the availability of healthy foods and can be used as a public policy assessment tool. In recent decades, Chile has implemented several strategies and regulations to improve food environments, with encouraging results. Little is known about the scope of these measures in socially vulnerable environments. This study is part of a project that seeks to build an integrated intervention model for healthy school environments in a vulnerable area of Santiago, Chile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods around schools and the relationship between it and socioeconomic determinants of the school community in the Chilean context. A cross-sectional study to measure the food environment of informal markets (street food), formal markets (stores), and institutions (schools) was conducted in and around 12 schools (100 m surrounding schools) in a vulnerable urban area of Santiago, Chile. A lack of healthy foods was observed, which was related to some socio-economic determinants and the multidimensional poverty was the most relevant. The diagnosis of food environments around schools can represent an important target for governments to implement policies focused at improving the availability of healthy foods.

[Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity perception in Chilean households]. / Inseguridad alimentaria y hábitos alimentarios durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en hogares chilenos.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2 pandemic (COVID-19) has caused intense changes in lifestyles, feeding, and nutrition habits. AIM: To analyze food insecurity and eating habits during the period of quarantine in a group of Chilean individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An online survey was conducted in 2,767 households with questions about the sociodemographic composition of the household, household food purchasing habits in the quarantine period for COVID-19, and perception of food insecurity. RESULTS: More than 60% of households (p < 0.01) were worried about not having enough food, especially when children under 18 years of age lived in them. This perception increased in urban households (p < 0.01) and those located in the Central-Southern and Southern regions (p < 0.01). During the pandemic, the consumption of healthy products such as milk increased in 50% of households, legumes in 72%, eggs in 79%, fruits in 54%, vegetables in 67% and water in 81%. There was also a lower consumption of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods such as hot-dogs in 90% of households, sausages in 73%, sugary drinks in 79% and ice cream in 83%. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic in Chile increased the perception of food insecurity in households with vulnerable conditions. However, the consumption of healthier foods increased.

Inseguridad alimentaria y hábitos alimentarios durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en hogares chilenos / Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity perception in Chilean households

Background: The coronavirus 2 pandemic (COVID-19) has caused intense changes in lifestyles, feeding, and nutrition habits. Aim: To analyze food insecurity and eating habits during the period of quarantine in a group of Chilean individuals. Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted in 2,767 households with questions about the sociodemographic composition of the household, household food purchasing habits in the quarantine period for COVID-19, and perception of food insecurity. Results: More than 60% of households (p < 0.01) were worried about not having enough food, especially when children under 18 years of age lived in them. This perception increased in urban households (p < 0.01) and those located in the Central-Southern and Southern regions (p < 0.01). During the pandemic, the consumption of healthy products such as milk increased in 50% of households, legumes in 72%, eggs in 79%, fruits in 54%, vegetables in 67% and water in 81%. There was also a lower consumption of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods such as hot-dogs in 90% of households, sausages in 73%, sugary drinks in 79% and ice cream in 83%. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic in Chile increased the perception of food insecurity in households with vulnerable conditions. However, the consumption of healthier foods increased.

Hábitos alimentarios y estado nutricional de niños y niñas que asisten a las Escuelas Deportivas Integrales del Instituto Nacional de Deporte, Región de Ñuble / Eating habits and nutritional status of children attending the Integral Sports Schools of the National Sports Institute, Ñuble Region, Chile

RESUMEN La malnutrición por exceso se ha convertido en un problema de salud pública a través de todo el ciclo vital. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar los hábitos alimentarios y el estado nutricional de niños y niñas que asisten a las Escuelas Deportivas Integrales (EDI) del Instituto Nacional de Deporte en la comuna de Chillán. Se realizó evaluación antropométrica y aplicación de encuesta sobre hábitos alimentarios, que permitía medir alimentos consumidos de manera diaria, semanal y mensual de: frutas, verduras, lácteos, agua, carne, pescado, legumbres, golosinas dulces y saladas, productos fritos, comida rápida y embutidos. En los resultados, se confirma una alta prevalencia de malnutrición por exceso (58,7%). Para el cumplimiento de las Guías Alimentarias Basadas en Alimentos (GABAS) para la población chilena, se observó sólo un 59,2% en frutas, 71,4% para verduras, 13,8% en pescado, 39,3% en legumbres y 66,3% en lácteos. Diariamente, más del 65% consume golosinas dulces y/o saladas. Semanalmente, la comida rápida y productos fritos se ingieren en un 66% y 79% respectivamente. Se sugiere la necesidad de realizar intervenciones multidisciplinarias de prevención y promoción de la salud, orientadas a mejorar estilos de vida saludables en la población infantil y así contribuir a disminuir los índices de morbilidad infantil.

ABSTRACT Over nutrition has become a public health problem over the life cycle. The objective of the study was to analyze the eating habits and nutritional status of children attending the Integral Sports Schools (ISS) of the National Sports Institute in Chillán, Chile. An anthropometric evaluation was performed; an eating habits survey, which measured the consumption of fruit, vegetables, dairy products, water, meat, fish, legumes, sweet and salty treats, fried products, junk food, and cold meats on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis was completed. Results confirmed a high prevalence of overnutrition (58.7%). Complying with Food Based Dietary Guidelines for the Chilean Population, values were 59.2% for fruit, 71.4% for vegetables, 13.8% for fish, 39.3% for legumes, and 66.3% for dairy products. More than 65% of the children ate sweet and/or salty treats on a daily basis. Weekly intake of junk food and fried products was 66% and 79%, respectively. Multidisciplinary prevention and health promotion interventions are required to improve healthy lifestyles in children and thus contribute to reducing child morbidity rates.

Una mirada actualizada sobre los ambientes alimentarios y obesidad / An updated look at food environments and obesity

La obesidad es considerada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud como un gra-ve problema de salud pública. En Chile los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2016-2017 muestran que 7 de cada 10 chilenos presentan sobrepeso u obesidad y, según datos del Ministerio de Educación, en los niños que ingresan a la enseñanza básica, la prevalencia de obesidad no ha logrado bajar del 25%. En los últimos años ha habido un reconocimiento mundial sobre la influencia que tienen los Ambien-tes Alimentarios en el comportamiento de las personas y en el estado nutricional de las poblaciones. Recientemente en el país se han identificado los Ambientes Ali-mentarios predominantes y sus factores condicionantes, lo que ha culminado con la elaboración de la Política Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición y los lineamientos que permiten avanzar en diferentes estrategias para modificar dichos ambientes. En Chile se han implementado medidas individuales y estructurales que han tenido gran relevancia tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, aunque está pendiente la ela-boración de instrumentos que midan de manera objetiva y confiable los Ambientes Alimentarios

The World Health Organization considers obesity to be a serious public health pro-blem. In Chile, results from the 2016-2017 National Health Survey show that 7 in 10 Chileans are overweight or obese, and according to the Ministry of Education, the prevalence of obesity among children entering elementary school has not dropped below 25%. In the last few years, Food Environments have been widely recognized for their impact on the behavior and the nutritional status of different populations.The principal Food Environments and their conditioning factors have been recently identified in Chile, and this information has been used to elaborate the National Food and Nutrition Policy and the inform guidelines and strategies to modify these environments. The individual and structural measures implemented in Chile have proven relevant, both on a national scale, as well as internationally; nevertheless, the development of instruments to objectively and reliably measure Food Environments is still pending

Ingesta de alimentos proteicos en adolescentes de la ciudad de Chillán, Chile / High-protein foods intake by adolescents in Chillan, Chile

RESUMEN El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la ingesta de alimentos proteicos distintos de los lácteos y sus derivados, en adolescentes que asisten a un establecimiento educacional subvencionado en la comuna de Chillán. Se realizó un estudio analítico de corte transversal, con una muestra de 154 adolescentes de edades entre 14 y 17 años. Se evaluó estado nutricional según IMC e ingesta alimentaria mediante encuesta de frecuencia de consumo cuantificado, con énfasis en la ingesta de alimentos de origen proteico distinto de los lácteos. El 90% de los encuestados, independiente del sexo, consumió semanalmente legumbres, carnes, pescados y mariscos. Las medianas de consumo de carnes, alcanzó los 275 g en hombres y 191 g en mujeres (p<0,01). Los hombres consumieron 1,5 veces más embutidos que las mujeres (148 g v/s 89 g; p=0,02). Al comparar la ingesta de los alimentos proteicos estudiados, con la Guía Alimentaria para los adolescentes, el 60% presentó un bajo cumplimiento de ingesta semanal en carnes, huevos, pescados y mariscos, por lo que es imperativo implementar estrategias tendientes a mejorar el consumo de alimentos con proteínas de alto valor biológico que les permitan un adecuado desarrollo.

ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to analyze the intake of high-protein foods, other than dairy products and their derivatives, by adolescents attending a subsidized school in the city of Chillán, Chile. A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted with a sample of 154 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17. Nutritional status was evaluated using body mass index (BMI) and food intake was measured using a quantified food consumption trend survey emphasizing the consumption of high-protein foods other than dairy products. Ninety percent of surveyed subjects, independently of sex, consumed legumes, meat, fish, and seafood on a weekly basis. Median weekly consumption of meat was 275 g for boys and 191 g for girls (p<0.01). Boys consumed 1.5 times more sausages than girls (148 g vs. 89 g; p=0.02). When comparing food intake of the high-protein foods under study with the Chilean Food Guide for adolescents, 60% complied poorly with weekly intake of meat, eggs, fish, and seafood. It is therefore imperative to implement strategies to improve the consumption of foods with high levels of biological protein to ensure the adequate development of adolescents.

[Proposal of a method to assess global quality of diet]. / Propuesta de una metodología de análisis de la calidad global de la alimentación.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have attempted to assess the global quality of diet. One of such initiatives is the Healthy Eating index (HEI), developed in the United States. However, its application in other countries requires certain adaptations. AIM: To adapt the HEI to the Chilean population and to assess its value in Chilean school age children and adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A random sample of 264 school age children aged 13.4 +/- 0.7 years and 264 adults aged 35.7 +/- 0.6 years was studied. A 24 hours food recall was done and the HEI seas calculated considering 10 variables based in the Feeding Guides for the Chilean population. Feeding habits were classified as healthy when the score was over 80 (of a maximum of 100), as requiring changes when the score was between 51 and 80 and as unhealthy when the score was 50 or less. RESULTS: The mean scores for children and adults were 58.4 +/- 11.3 and 56.2 +/- 11.1 respectively (p< 0.02). The variables with lower scores were vegetables, fruits, dairy products and sodium. Only 1.5% of the population had healthy feeding habits, without differences by sex or age. Feeding quality was significantly worse among obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The HEI is a tool that can be used in the Chilean population and can be used to assess the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives. It also can help to focalize educational programs to specific nutrients.