Abstract

PAYE HUANCA, Erick Omar  and  JORDAN DE GUZMAN, Magdalena. Factors related to the composition of a basic food basket of families in the city of La Paz, term 2012. Cuad. - Hosp. Clín. [online]. 2015, vol.56, n.2, pp.25-31. ISSN 1562-6776.

Objective: To determine factors related to the composition of the nutritious food basket of families living in the city of La Paz. Material and method: This is a transversal analytical study of 422 families in the city of La Paz, of the 7 Macrodistricts: Cotahuma, Max Paredes, Periférica, Centro, San Antonio, Sur and Mallasa. A survey with socioeconomic variables (Graffar-Mendez Castellanos Method) was applied. Food habits and consumption were registered (in order to determine the quantity, quality, harmony and adaptation of the consumed diet), the physical and economic access to food (in order to determine the percent of the family's income allotted to the purchase of food). Results: It can be asserted that the composition of the family's cost of the basic nutritious food basket, in quantity and quality keeps a relationship with socioeconomic factors, food habits and physical access to food with less than 5% significance. (p<0,05). Urban families ofLa Pazmade up of3,5 to 4,4 members require at least 2.5 to 3.5 minimum wages only in order to cover food expenditures. The family income percent allotted to food is around 40%. Families with lesser incomes allot a higher income percent to food and families with higher incomes allot a lesser income percent to food. Conclusions: Purchase capacity of families in order to reach an adequate basic nutritious food basket is limited and it is mainly related to the socioeconomic level, the family's physical and economic access. Although minimum wages have been increased over the pastyears, there are various already mentioned factors determining the composition of a family's basic nutritious food basket.

Keywords : Families; nutritious food basket; socioeconomic level; economic and physical access to food; food habits and eating.

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