Roles y estereotipos de las cuidadoras de las personas con discapacidad en la alimentación y actividad física

Abstract

Background: Intellectual disability is a significant limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Caregiving a person with a disability generates stress for daily activities in feeding, personal hygiene, and physical activity. General Objective: Describe the roles and stereotypes of caregivers of people with disabilities in feeding and physical activity, from March to September 2017. Methodology: Qualitative descriptive phenomenological study whose population were the informal caregivers of people with disabilities: eleven with Down syndrome, two with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome, three with Cerebral Palsy and three with Intellectual disability, in Cuenca city. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews that were recorded, transcribed and analyzed, using the software Atlas ti version 1.0.50. The interview covered conceptual categories such as: eating behavior, kinds of food children eat, eating habits, roles and stereotypes of the caregiver in feeding, and physical activity, nutritional status. Results: One hundred percent of the caregivers were women with direct relationship with the person they take care. Also, 68,4% of the people with disability were included in family diet, having preferences in high protein and carbohydrates food. Caregivers did not accomplish the World Health Organization recommendations in feeding and physical activity. Furthermore, 73,7% of the participants had bad physical activity habits due to the lack of promotion or awareness of them. Conclusion: Caregivers maintain the traditional role and stereotype of gender in the care of feeding and physical activity of people with disabilities