Abstract

RUIZ DOMINGUEZ, Rosario; CUENTAS YANEZ, Guillermo  and  GOMEZ RIBERA, Jorge. NUTRICIONAL AND MALNUTRITION PREVALENCE IN THE TRINIDAD CITY. Rev. Méd. La Paz [online]. 2020, vol.26, n.2, pp.24-28. ISSN 1726-8958.

Introduction: Bolivia has the second highest chronic malnutrition rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our population has a poor diet composed mainly of low-cost carbohydrates and other products with a high fat and starch content, this generally not only delayed growth, but also high rates of overweight and obesity which in turn increase the risk of suffering numerous cardiovascular, metabolic and oncological diseases. Objectives: To determine the nutritional habits and malnutrition prevalence in residents of Trinidad city. Method: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study, for which 500 surveys containing 18 questions were distributed. Overweight or obesity was defined by calculating Body Mass Index (BMI). Outcomes description was made by means of frequencies and total percentages. Results: The frequency of overweight was 39.4% and obesity 21.8% with male predominance. Regarding nutritional habits, 52.9% of respondents do not exercise and 55.3% do not eat at times. The consumption of vegetables, fruits, meats, carbohydrates andjunk food was frequent, and on the contrary, the consumption of candies, dairy products, alcohol and tobacco. Conclusions: The frequency of overweight and obesity in residents of Trinidad city is high, with a predominance in men between 18 and 40 years old because of poor dietary habits.

Keywords : Nutritional habits; malnutrition; overweight; obesity.

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