Seguridad alimentaria y nutricional de los niños menores de 5 años de edad en la Parroquia San Joaquín del cantón Cuenca, 2013

Abstract

Objective: Establish the food security of families and nutritional status of children less than 5 years of age in the parish of San Joaquin. Methods: This research is an observational, cross-sectional and analytical study. The chosen location was the home of the children under 5 years old of the parish of San Joaquin, who reside in this community in 2013, for which was taken as an approximate number of 805 children under 5 years old and their families, as Universe, from the last census (2010). The sample size was calculated using the EpiDat program, taking into account the prevalence of 35.83% of undernutrition in the parish, we obtained as a result a total of 250 children under 5 years old with 95% confidence, we made an cluster sample using the sectoral division of INEC. The instrument used was a validated form, electronic scales and stadiometer. Results: 61% of food-insecure homes, 34% of children under 5 years old have chronic malnutrition; poverty by unsatisfied basic needs (PUBN) is 70%. Conclusions: There was a direct relationship, where there are almost 2 times more probabilities that a child of 5 years old with a family with UBN poverty suffer from food insecurity, 2 times more probabilities that a child under 5 years old with a family with food insecurity suffer from chronic malnutrition and 3 times more probabilities that a child under 5 years old with a family with UBN poverty suffer malnutrition. Keywords: FOOD SECURITY, CHRONIC MALNUTRITION, FOOD SECURITY SCALE, POVERTY.