Representations of eating and of a nutrition program among female caregivers of children under 5 years old in Tizimin, Yucatan, Mexico

Gloria De Los Ángeles Uicab-Pool,Romeu Gomes,Blanca Pelcastre-Villafuerte,Maria Das Graças Carvalho Ferriani

doi:10.1590/s0104-11692009000600003

Abstract

This study was carried out between January and April 2008 with 14 caregivers of children younger than 5 years residing in Tizimín city, Mexico. It aimed to understand the social representations of eating and the Programa Oportunidades [Opportunity Program] held by caregivers taking into account their social and cultural context. This qualitative investigation with an ethnographic approach was based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Two empirical categories emerged: 1) feeding and 2) an aid. The first refers to the caregivers' representation of eating patterns of children younger than 5 years and the second reveals that the program is considered an aid, which favors and helps caregivers to meet part of their needs. The study achieved the proposed objectives since it enabled us to understand caregivers in the complex task of feeding these children and also to propose strategies in several spheres to improve infant nutrition.

Highlights

Feeding a child is a need but it is a right that should be respected because the health and development a child achieves in his/her adult life partially depends on it
Of the 14 caregivers responsible for caring and feeding children younger than five years who participated in the study, 13 were the mothers themselves who cared for and fed the children and only one of them was the child’s grandmother
The ages of children whose food was provided by caregivers was analyzed at the moment of data collection and is as

Summary

Introduction

Feeding a child is a need but it is a right that should be respected because the health and development a child achieves in his/her adult life partially depends on it. Nutrition in the children’s first years of life is essential for their growth and development in multiple dimensions. When it is insufficient, it leads to malnutrition[1]. As in the case of Mexico, one out of four children younger than five years weigh below the recommended weight, which means that 146 million children under five years are underweight. Mexico has a long history of developing programs and policies focused on improving the nutrition of vulnerable groups[3]

Objectives

Methods

Results