Abstract

The main goal was to determine the nutritional status and the contextual factors related to food security in teenagers from the educational institution Ciudadela 2000 (Cartagena). An anthropometric assessment (107 teenagers) was done to determine the nutritional status and a questionnaire was used to identify main issues regarding contextual factors (economic, mobility, environmental and sociocultural). The nutritional status: height-for-age index (78.3%) and BMI-for-age index (83%) indicated that most of the participants presented an adequate nutritional status. However, 18.9% of the participants presented a risk of low height and 2.8% presented low height for the age. Regarding the BMI-for-age index, participants presented a risk to thinness (8.5%) and overweight (7%). Regarding contextual factors, 68% of the teenagers indicated concerns related to food purchase and limited income for this. Additionally, 52% of the teenagers indicated that the food purchased at home did not last enough and that there was no money to buy more. On the other hand, 88% of participants indicated that there is an easy mobility to local markets for food purchase. Moreover, the teenagers presented hygiene habits intended to avoid cross-contamination of consumed food. However, there is environmental contamination close to the educational institution or to their homes. Finally, nutritional problems were more evident in lower socioeconomic levels (levels 1 and 2), but malnutrition caused by food excess was present in teenagers who belonged to a highest evaluated (level 3) socioeconomic level.

Keywords:

Economic factor, environmental factor, mobility factor, nutritional status, sociocultural factor, teenager,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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The authors have no competing interests.