Abstract
Background: The nutrition transition continues to affect populations throughout the world. The added impact of market integration and urbanization exacerbates the impact of the nutrition transition upon Indigenous populations worldwide. Objectives: This study aims to explore the nutritional concerns of the urban Kichwas community residing in the Andes highlands of Ecuador. Study design: This is a qualitative study. Methods: Eight focus groups were conducted with Kichwas men and women in November 2015 in the Imbabura province of the Andes in Ecuador. Data analysis: Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze findings regarding nutrition. Results: The participants shared concerns regarding increased intake of fast food, poor meal timing, and a shift in the child's food preferences that rejects traditional foods. They attributed these concerns to urbanization resulting from an increase in dual-income households and a loss of cultural identity. Conclusions: Synergistic cultural factors are related to nutritional concerns voiced by the urban Kichwas community. Public health implications: Syndemic theory is a useful interpretive lens regarding nutritional trends within the Kichwas communities as they relate to the increased risk of chronic disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 21-28 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Public Health |
Volume | 176 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2019 |
Keywords
- Andes highlands
- Desculturización
- Indigenous communities
- Kichwas
- Market Integration among Indigenous
- Nutrition transition
- Syndemic theory
- Urbanization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health