Conducta alimentaria en escolares a nivel de Latinoamérica

Abstract

Eating behavior is known as a set of actions that establishes the relationship of a person with food, especially in schoolchildren, as they interfere in nutritional behavior, influencing their physical, psychological and social development. Objective: To describe eating behavior of school children in Latin America. Methodology: It was elaborated a bibliographic review based on articles from scientific databases such as: Scopus, ProQuest, Medigraphic, Redalyc, BVS, Scielo, as well as official pages of (MSP), (WHO), (CEPAL), and the use of different entities and health organizations, both local and those with recognition at Latin American level. Results: In Mexico, in 6-9 years-old school children, the results in the malnutrition category were 15% overweight and 42% obese; in Ecuador, 35 out of every 100 children over 5 years old suffer from overweight. The associated factors were: control between parents and children, family context, food education and socioeconomic level. The main complications were: obesity, anemia, malnutrition, stunting and chronic non-communicable diseases. The predominant nutritional guidelines were the school feeding program, since it aims to improve eating habits. The role of nursing looks for creating promotion and prevention actions inside and outside educational establishments. Conclusion: Healthy eating behavior from childhood can help maintain a normal nutritional status. In addition, the eating habits that children acquire will help to keep a healthy lifestyle when they grow up.