Communities In Ecuador Research Articles

Eggs Introduced Early in Complementary Feeding and Egg Specific IgE Antibodies: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Ecuador

ObjectivesThe purpose of the study was to assess the safety of using eggs as a nutritional intervention for stunting in infants living in a rural indigenous community in Ecuador and to further understand the prevalence of egg allergy in this population. MethodsThe Lulun Project was a randomized controlled trial conducted in a rural indigenous population in Ecuador. Infants age 6–9 months were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention (1 egg/day; n = 80) or control (no intervention, n = 83) group. At baseline and end line, enumerators collected anthropometric, dietary intake, morbidity, and sociodemographic data along with blood samples. Symptoms of allergies were assessed, including rash, congestion, coughing or wheezing, and diarrhea. Children in the intervention group were monitored by the study team for allergy symptoms during consumption of the first study egg. All children were monitored for illness and allergy symptoms throughout the study. We used ELISA assays to determine serum anti-ovomucoid and ovalbumin IgE levels, a validated approach to identify “risk of” egg allergy. Results131 of the children had a sufficient serum sample to be analyzed for IgE levels. Ovomucoid levels were <0.35 kUA/L in all children. 57 paired samples were available, 1 of 51 in the control and 2 of 56 in the intervention group developed increased responses to ovalbumin during the study (0.51–1.04 kUA/L). For unpaired endline samples (n = 51), 3 of 25 in the control group and 2 of 26 in the egg group had increased ovalbumin responses (0.6–1.36 kUA/L). No child was removed from the study due to a reaction to eggs. ConclusionsThese findings support the use of eggs as a safe option to improve growth and reduce stunting in this community in Ecuador. Our study’s findings are in alignment with current guidelines that recommend introducing eggs early in the complementary feeding period, and the evidence that doing so does not increase the risk of developing an egg allergy. Funding SourcesThe Mathile Institute for Human Nutrition, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Washington University in St. Louis Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program funded this study.

The challenge of improving the efficiency of drinking water treatment systems in rural areas facing changes in the raw water quality

Safely managed drinking water for all is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1. Achieving this goal is a challenge in rural areas. A strong partnership between users of a water treatment system was critical to the success of community-scale technological change. In this study, the efficiency of a water treatment system was evaluated after the implementation of a technological change in a rural area. This research was carried out in a community in Ecuador, which before the change in technology had a treatment system composed of gravel pre-filtration and slow filtration. This system did not guarantee adequate water quality, due to a notable increase in the color and turbidity levels of raw water; in addition to the growing demand for water in recent years. A new conventional treatment system was implemented consisting of: coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, rapid filtration and disinfection. All the modernization works were carried out on the same infrastructure that had served as gravel pre-filters. Before modernization, samples of raw water and treated water were collected for six months. After the changes carried out, samples of raw and treated water were also collected for another six months. The parameters analyzed were: turbidity, color, pH, total dissolved solids, residual chlorine, nitrates, sulfates, phosphates, chlorides, alkalinity, total hardness and iron. The values of all the parameters analyzed improved after the modernization, indicating that the changes made in the treatment plant were successful. As a result, a conventional treatment to make water potable in rural areas has become a robust process that can operate within a wide range of water quality, improving the quality and quantity of drinking water.

Filter design for arsenic species in aqueous environments: An ab initio optimization of the absorbing capacity of magnetite-based arsenic filters

Polluted water sources are a public health issue causing concerns in regions with a low-quality water treatment system. Gastrointestinal diseases, skin associated illness, and even skin cancer development commonly link to prolonged intakes of arsenic compounds. Thus, we propose the design of a low-cost, eco-friendly arsenic filter using a magnetite-based adsorbent. Density functional theory calculations warrant the optimal adsorbing capacity in the filter design with magnetite nanoparticles (Mag-NPs) capturing up to 5 arsenic species diluted in aqueous environments. A lineal and a geometric model describe the collective adsorbing mechanism of the Mag-NPs for determining the filter’s dimensions. Finally, our filter design framework is applied using the water source conditions of the Toacaso community in Ecuador.

Impact of the Reduction of Diesel Fuel Subsidy in the Design of an Off-Grid Hybrid Power System: A Case Study of the Bellavista Community in Ecuador

This paper presents a technical, economic, and environmental analysis and optimization of the impact of the reduction of diesel fuel subsidy in the design of an off-grid hybrid power system (OHPS). The OHPS includes a diesel generator, battery energy storage system (BESS), and a solar power system (SPS). This impact will focus on the electricity production levels of each of the OHPS components according to the increase of the fuel price and the SPS size. The Bellavista community in Ecuador was selected as the case study for this work. In this South American country, the government has begun a gradual increase in the diesel fuel price until it reaches international prices. Fifteen scenarios of OHPSs were simulated, in Homer Pro software, considering three SPS sizes and varying the diesel fuel price in five values. The annual load profile for the simulations was built based on the information of a previous study in this community. The results showed that for lower fuel prices (USD$0.26/L and USD$0.35/L), the OHPSs worked mostly with their diesel generators with reduced use of their BESSs. However, there was a higher penetration of the power delivered from the SPSs and BESSs, with higher fuel prices (USD$0.44/L, USD$0.53/L, and USD$0.62/L). These OHPSs considerably reduced their CO2 emissions compared with the standalone diesel generator scenario.

Health Symptoms Related to Pesticide Use in Farmers and Laborers of Ecological and Conventional Banana Plantations in Ecuador.

Conventional banana farming is pesticide-intensive and leads to high exposure of farmworkers. Ecuador is the world’s biggest exporter of bananas. In this field study in 5 communities in Ecuador, we recorded potentially pesticide-associated subjective health symptoms in farmworkers and compared pesticide users to workers in organic farming. With one exception, symptom rates were always higher in the pesticide-exposed group. Significance was reached in 8 out of 19 investigated symptoms with the highest odds ratios (and smallest p-values) for local irritation like skin and eye irritation (OR = 3.58, CI 1.10–11.71, and 4.10, CI 1.37–12.31, respectively) as well as systemic symptoms like dizziness (OR = 4.80, CI 1.55–14.87) and fatigue (OR = 4.96, CI 1.65–14.88). Moreover, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported more frequently by pesticide users: nausea (OR = 7.5, CI 1.77–31.77) and diarrhea (OR = 6.43, CI 1.06–30.00). The majority of farmworkers were not adequately protected from pesticide exposure. For example, only 3 of 31 farmworkers that had used pesticides recently reported using gloves and only 6 reported using masks during active spraying. Improved safety measures and a reduction in pesticide use are necessary to protect the health of banana farmworkers.

Gender disparities in Ecuador: a survey study of the under-representation of women in surgery.

The aim of this study is to describe the state of gender representation in surgery across Ecuador.A survey of female surgeons in Ecuador was conducted, collecting information regarding demographics, academics, family and relationships, sexual harassment, discrimination and gender preference of one's own surgeon. All statistical analysis was conducted with IBM-SPSS version 25. The platform, Worlde, was used for discourse analysis. Of the 144 female surgeons who received the survey, 105 responded.Almost half of respondents had a higher degree in addition to their surgical training. Leadership positions in the workplace were reported to be held by males in 66.7% of cases. Relationship problems caused by the surgical profession were reported by 72.4% of respondents. Feelings of guilt for not dedicating enough time to family were reported by 72.4%, and a feeling of not being supported by their partner was reported by 31.4% of respondents. Sexual harassment was described by 55.2%, and discrimination by 48.6% of the female surgeons in our sample. The majority (89.5%) would choose surgery again if given the opportunity. Significant gender disparities remain within the surgical community in Ecuador.

Promoting traditional foods for human and environmental health: lessons from agroecology and Indigenous communities in Ecuador

BackgroundThe displacement of traditional dietary practices is associated with negative nutritional consequences for rural Indigenous people, who already face the brunt of both nutritional inadequacies and excesses. Traditional food (TF) consumption and production practices can improve nutritional security by mitigating disruptive dietary transitions, providing nutrients and improving agricultural resilience. Meanwhile, traditional agricultural practices regenerate biodiversity to support healthy ecosystems. In Ecuador, Indigenous people have inserted TF agricultural and dietary practices as central elements of the country’s agroecological farming movement. This study assesses factors that may promote TF practices in rural populations and explores the role of agroecology in strengthening such factors.MethodsMixed methods include a cross-sectional comparative survey of dietary, food acquisition, production and socioeconomic characteristics of agroecological farmers (n = 61) and neighboring reference farmers (n = 30) in Ecuador’s Imbabura province. Instruments include 24-h dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire of indicator traditional foods. We triangulate results using eight focus group discussions with farmers’ associations.ResultsCompared to their neighbors, agroecological farmers produce and consume more TFs, and particularly underutilized TFs. Farm production diversity, reliance on non-market foods and agroecology participation act on a pathway in which TF production diversity predicts higher TF consumption diversity and ultimately TF consumption frequency. Age, income, market distance and education are not consistently associated with TF practices. Focus group discussions corroborate survey results and also identify affective (e.g. emotional) and commercial relationships in agroecological spaces as likely drivers of stronger TF practices.ConclusionsTraditional food practices in the Ecuadorian highlands are not relics of old, poor and isolated populations but rather an established part of life for diverse rural people. However, many TFs are underutilized. Sustainable agriculture initiatives may improve TF practices by integrating TFs into production diversity increases and into consumption of own production. Agroecology may be particularly effective because it is a self-expanding global movement that not only promotes the agricultural practices that are associated with TF production, but also appears to intensify affective sentiments toward TFs and inserts TFs in commercial spaces. Understanding how to promote TFs is necessary in order to scale up their potential to strengthen nutritional health.

Poverty and Paternal Education Associated With Infant Safe Sleep Intentions in a Peri-Urban Community in Ecuador.

Ecuador’s annual mortality rate from SIDS is 0.4 per 100 000 people, 4 times higher than neighboring countries Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Modifying the infant sleep environment toward safe practice has been demonstrated to be the most effective risk reduction strategy in reducing mortality from SIDS and little is known about sleep practices in Ecuador. The purpose of this study is to describe baseline infant sleep intentions of pregnant women in a peri-urban, low resource community in Ecuador. We also aim to identify demographic and psychosocial factors associated with suboptimal sleep practices in this context to develop long-term strategies to identify infants with high risk for SIDS/SUID. A cross-sectional study design was employed with 100 women in their third trimester of pregnancy. The majority of women were partnered (82%), both parents had approximately 8 years of education, and over half reported that their incomes met or exceeded their basic needs (55%). Significant predictors of safer sleep intention included years of paternal education (P = .019) and income meeting their basic needs (P = .0049). For each additional year of paternal education, families were 23% more likely to report safer intended infant sleep practices. Compared to those whose income did not allow for basic needs, those who had sufficient income to meet (or exceed) basic needs were 425% more likely to report safer intended sleep practices. Targeted interventions to high-risk populations may reduce the burden of SIDS/SUID in this community.

An innovative subterranean spring capture method for improved water quality

Abstract Many rural communities in Andean countries of South America rely on springs as their primary drinking water source. A variety of spring capture methods are employed resulting in varying water quality. Water from these spring-fed sources, delivered to the community via a distribution network, is often not chlorinated, increasing the risk of water-borne pathogens. A simple, improved technique has been developed in Ecuador's Chimborazo Province by a local Christian organization, Corporación de Desarrollo Integral Socio Económico (CODEINSE), to protect spring water sources for community water supply. This new technique, ‘the CODEINSE method’, builds on the strengths of traditional subterranean spring captures while employing several design improvements, like a concrete cap and sufficient gravel pack, to prevent surface water contamination. According to water quality data collected in Ecuador, the CODEINSE method consistently provides high-quality water with substantially reduced levels of water-borne pathogens compared to traditional spring capture methods. On average, the CODEINSE method yields water with less than 1.0 CFU/100 mL, water that is deemed no risk by the World Health Organization. The CODEINSE method has the potential to improve water quality not only in the rural Andean communities in Ecuador but also in developing countries across the world.

Miscommunication in the COVID‐19 Era

This article discusses issues around the communication of preventive health messages related to COVID‐19 to indigenous language‐speaking communities in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Official communication is primarily in Spanish, and the many translation initiatives that have arisen do not always succeed in getting the message across due to the lack of cultural interpretation that needs to accompany the linguistic message. This situation compounds the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in the face of the crisis.

Multiple burdens of malnutrition and relative remoteness in rural Ecuadorian communities.

Social and economic changes associated with new roads can bring about rapid nutritional transitions. To study this process, we: (1) describe trends in adult overweight and obesity (OW/OB) among rural Afro-Ecuadorians over time and across a gradient of community remoteness from the nearest commercial centre; (2) examine the relationship between male and female adult OW/OB and factors associated with market integration such as changing livelihoods and (3) examine the co-occurrence of adult OW/OB and under-five stunting and anaemia. Adult anthropometry was collected through serial case-control studies repeated over a decade across twenty-eight communities. At the same time, anthropometry and Hb were measured for all children under 5 years of age in every community. Northern coastal Ecuador. Adults (n 1665) and children under 5 years of age (n 2618). From 2003 and 2013, OW/OB increased from 25·1 % to 44·8 % among men and 59·9 % to 70·2 % among women. The inverse relationship between remoteness and OW/OB in men was attenuated when adjusting for urban employment, suggesting that livelihoods mediated the remoteness-OW/OB relationship. No such relationship was observed among women. Communities with a higher prevalence of male OW/OB also had a greater prevalence of stunting, but not anaemia, in children under 5 years of age. The association between male OW/OB and child stunting at the community level, but not the household level, suggests that changing food environments, rather than household- or individual-level factors, drove these trends. A closer examination of changing socio-economic structures and food environments in communities undergoing rapid development could help mitigate future public health burdens.

Residential proximity to greenhouse crops and pesticide exposure (via acetylcholinesterase activity) assessed from childhood through adolescence.

Background: Off-target drift of pesticides from farms increases the risk of pesticide exposure of people living nearby. Cholinesterase inhibitors (i.e. organophosphates and carbamates) are frequently used in agriculture and inhibit the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Greenhouse agriculture is an important production method, but it is unknown how far pesticide drift from greenhouses can extend and expose people living nearby.Methods: This study included 1145 observations from 3 exams (2008, Apr 2016 and Jul-Oct 2016) of 622 children aged 4-to-17 years living in agricultural communities in Ecuador. AChE and hemoglobin were measured from fingerstick blood samples. Geographic positioning of greenhouses and homes were obtained using GPS receivers and satellite imagery. Distances between homes and the nearest greenhouse edge, and areas of greenhouse crops within various buffer zones around homes were calculated. Repeated-measures regression adjusted for hemoglobin and other covariates estimated change in AChE relative to distance from greenhouses.Results: The pooled mean (SD) of AChE activity was 3.58 U/mL (0.60). The median (25th-75th %tile) residential distance to crops was 334 m (123, 648) and crop area within 500 m of homes (non-zero values only) was 18,482 m2 (7115, 61,841). Residential proximity to greenhouse crops was associated with lower AChE activity among children living within 275m of crops (AChE difference per 100m of proximity [95% CI]= -0.07 U/mL [-0.14, -0.002]). Lower AChE activity was associated with greater crop area within 500m of homes (AChE difference per 1000m2 [95% CI]= -0.02 U/mL [-0.029, -0.010]) and especially within 150m (-0.026 U/mL [-0.046, -0.006]).Conclusions: Residential proximity to floricultural greenhouses, especially within 275m, was associated with lower AChE activity among children, reflecting greater cholinesterase inhibitor exposure from pesticide drift. Analyses of residential proximity and crop areas near homes yielded complementary findings. Mitigation of off-target drift of pesticides from crops onto nearby homes is recommended.

Ayahuasca Ethno-tourism and its Impact on the Indigenous Shuar Community (Ecuador) and Western Participants

An indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador have been hosting tourists seeking retreats that feature traditional medicinal plants such as ayahuasca and tobacco. The community has provided individual ceremonies with the plants, or more complex rites such as Natemamu. Natemamu is a rite that is comprised of repetitive ceremonies lasting ten to twelve days, which involves drinking large quantities of Ayahuasca. The author primarily focuses on: 1) the commodification of the Shuar Natemamu rite as a product that is offered on the global market; and 2) the impacts of this commercial trade on the hosts and visitors. This article is based on data collected by means of participant observation, interviews, and audio-visual documentations. The findings imply that the introduction of western tourists to the Shuar community and its rites has contributed to processual changes to the rite and to ideational and material changes on both sides. Furthermore, the findings suggest that while the tourists experienced more ideational changes, the impact on Shuars was more material. This seems to be in accordance with the respective expectations of the encounter of both groups.

Spatial Exposure of Agricultural Antimicrobial Resistance in Relation to Free-Ranging Domestic Chicken Movement Patterns among Agricultural Communities in Ecuador.

The use of antimicrobial growth promoters in chicken farming has been commonly associated with high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans. Most of this work, however, has been focused on intensive large-scale operations. Intensive small-scale farming that regularly uses antibiotics is increasing worldwide and has different exposure pathways compared with large-scale farming, most notably the spatial connection between chickens and households. In these communities, free-ranging backyard chickens (not fed antibiotics) can roam freely, whereas broiler chickens (fed antibiotics) are reared in the same husbandry environment but confined to coops. We conducted an observational field study to better understand the spatial distribution of AMR in communities that conduct small-scale farming in northwestern Ecuador. We analyzed phenotypic resistance of Escherichia coli sampled from humans and backyard chickens to 12 antibiotics in relation to the distance to the nearest small-scale farming operation within their community. We did not find a statistically significant relationship between the distance of a household to small-scale farming and antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolated from chicken or human samples. To help explain this result, we monitored the movement of backyard chickens and found they were on average 17 m (min-max: 0-59 m) from their household at any given time. These backyard chickens on average ranged further than the average distance from any study household to its closest neighbor. This level of connectivity provides a viable mechanism for the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and genes throughout the community.

Optimal Sizing and Scheduling of Hybrid Energy Systems: The Cases of Morona Santiago and the Galapagos Islands

Hybrid energy systems (HESs) generate electricity from multiple energy sources that complement each other. Recently, due to the reduction in costs of photovoltaic (PV) modules and wind turbines, these types of systems have become economically competitive. In this study, a mathematical programming model is applied to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of autonomous units located in two isolated areas of Ecuador: first, the province of Galapagos (subtropical island) and second, the province of Morona Santiago (Amazonian tropical forest). The two case studies suggest that HESs are potential solutions to reduce the dependence of rural villages on fossil fuels and viable mechanisms to bring electrical power to isolated communities in Ecuador. Our results reveal that not only from the economic but also from the environmental point of view, for the case of the Galapagos province, a hybrid energy system with a PV–wind–battery configuration and a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) equal to 0.36 $/kWh is the optimal energy supply system. For the case of Morona Santiago, a hybrid energy system with a PV–diesel–battery configuration and an LCOE equal to 0.37 $/kWh is the most suitable configuration to meet the load of a typical isolated community in Ecuador. The proposed optimization model can be used as a decision-support tool for evaluating the viability of autonomous HES projects at any other location.

Unveiling Cacao Agroforestry Sustainability through the Socio-Ecological Systems Diagnostic Framework: The Case of Four Amazonian Rural Communities in Ecuador

Cacao cultivation is rapidly increasing in Latin America under the influence of public policies and external markets. In Ecuador, the cultivated surface of high quality cacao trees has doubled in the last 50 years, creating great expectations in neighboring countries. Here, we investigated the social-ecological sustainability of cacao-based agroforestry systems in four rural Amazonian highlands communities in eastern Ecuador, close to the region where cacao was once domesticated. Kichwa- and Shuar-speaking groups were interviewed by adapting Ostrom’s institutional diagnostic framework for social-ecological systems. Through a set of specifically created indicator variables, we identified key interactions and outcomes to understand the fragility and the sustainability of those communities. The studied communities were fairly young, with land rights secured less than 30 years ago in most cases. Per-family surfaces were very restricted (typically one hectare) and plots were divided between cash producing crops and their own home food. The small production per household goes through a precarious commercialization by both intermediaries and cooperatives, making the cacao bean production merely sufficient for pocket money. Ties with specialist producers in one community close to the capital has promoted the use of native cacao lines. Elsewhere, improved varieties of high productivity are planted along native trees being commercialized indistinctly. The continuity of these communities currently depend on a reorganization of their demography with parts of the population working elsewhere, as cacao bean production alone will continue to be insufficient, and will compete with their food self-sufficiency.

Perceptions of Local Vulnerability and the Relative Importance of Climate Change in Rural Ecuador

Rural, natural resource dependent communities are especially vulnerable to climate change, and their input is critical in developing solutions, but the study of risk perception within and among vulnerable communities remains underdeveloped. Our multi-disciplinary research team used a mixed-methods approach to document, analyze, and conceptualize the interacting factors that shape vulnerability and to explore community members’ perceptions of the role and relative importance of climate change compared to other factors in three rural communities in Ecuador. Economic instability, lack of access to basic services, and environmental degradation are perceived as greater threats to community well being than increasing seasonal variability and flooding. Programs and policies directed at climate change adaptation should integrate climate and non-climate related stressors. Our findings also point to a greater need for collaboration across public health, poverty alleviation, and environmental management fields through practical research targeting assistance to vulnerable populations.

Residential proximity to greenhouse crops and pesticide exposure (via acetylcholinesterase activity) assessed from childhood through adolescence

BackgroundOff-target drift of pesticides from farms increases the risk of pesticide exposure of people living nearby. Cholinesterase inhibitors (i.e. organophosphates and carbamates) are frequently used in agriculture and inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Greenhouse agriculture is an important production method, but it is unknown how far pesticide drift from greenhouses can extend and expose people living nearby. MethodsThis study included 1156 observations from 3 exams (2008, Apr, 2016 and Jul–Oct 2016) of 623 children aged 4-to-17 years living in agricultural communities in Ecuador. AChE, a physiological marker of cholinesterase inhibitor exposure, was measured in blood. Geographic positioning of greenhouses and homes were obtained using GPS receivers and satellite imagery. Distances between homes and the nearest greenhouse edge, and areas of greenhouse crops within various buffer zones around homes were calculated. Repeated-measures regression adjusted for hemoglobin and other covariates estimated change in AChE relative to distance from greenhouses. ResultsThe pooled mean (SD) of AChE activity was 3.58 U/mL (0.60). The median (25th-75th %tile) residential distance to crops was 334 m (123, 648) and crop area within 500 m of homes (non-zero values only) was 18,482 m2 (7115, 61,841). Residential proximity to greenhouse crops was associated with lower AChE activity among children living within 275 m of crops (AChE difference per 100 m of proximity [95% CI] = −0.10 U/mL [-0.20, −0.006]). Lower AChE activity was associated with greater crop area within 500 m of homes (AChE difference per 1000 m2 [95% CI] = −0.026 U/mL [-0.040, −0.012]) and especially within 150 m (−0.037 U/mL [-0.065, −0.007]). ConclusionsResidential proximity to floricultural greenhouses, especially within 275 m, was associated with lower AChE activity among children, reflecting greater cholinesterase inhibitor exposure from pesticide drift. Analyses of residential proximity and crop areas near homes yielded complementary findings. Mitigation of off-target drift of pesticides from crops onto nearby homes is recommended.

US Evaluation of Bone Age in Rural Ecuadorian Children: Association with Anthropometry and Nutrition.

Background Stunted growth and development is a serious global public health problem. A limited number of field measures exist that can be used to evaluate stunting and its underlying biologic mechanisms. Purpose To assess bone age using tablet-based US in young children living in a rural community in Ecuador, where stunting is prevalent, and to evaluate the associations between bone age, anthropometry, and diet. Materials and Methods From June through August 2017, tablet-based US was used to assess bone age in young children within their homes in rural Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Bone age z scores (BAZs) were assigned using the standards of Greulich and Pyle. Anthropometric data were collected using international protocols; z scores were generated from World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Groups were compared using the Student t test. Univariate analyses and generalized linear regression modeling were applied to test the association between bone age and anthropometry, adjusting for covariates including age, sex, dietary intake, and morbidities. Results A total of 128 children (mean age, 33.9 months ± 1.8 [standard deviation]; 59 girls, 69 boys) were evaluated. Mean BAZ was -1.20 ± 1.16. Mean BAZ was lower in children with stunted growth (-1.42 ± 1.18) than in children without stunted growth (-0.98 ± 1.10, P = .04). In adjusted analysis, BAZ was associated with the following variables: height-for-age z score (β coefficient, 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05, 0.46; P = .01), female sex (β coefficient, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.88; P = .006), number of times eggs were consumed in the previous 24 hours (β coefficient, 0.22; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.38; P = .009), number of times savory or salty snacks were consumed in the previous 24 hours (β coefficient, 0.42; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.68; P = .002), and ownership of pig livestock, which was a binary variable (β coefficient, -0.46; 95% CI: -0.82, -0.09; P = .01). Conclusion Bone age determined using tablet-based US was lower in children who had stunted growth and was associated with diet in a cohort of children living in rural Ecuador. © RSNA, 2020 See also the editorial by Dillman and Ayyala in this issue.

Cambios Socio-ambientales, Alimentación y Sustento en una Comunidad Rural del Manglar

Mangrove forests support high levels of biodiversity that form the basis of subsistence and livelihoods in coastal communities worldwide. This paper explores the range of marine products consumed by households in a mangrove-dependent community in Ecuador. In ethnobiological interviews, 48 species of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans were named, of which 85% are harvested directly by the inhabitants and exchangedbetween households. Findings also suggest that changes in consumption patterns in the past 10 years reflect broader socio-environmental trends, such as a decline in available resources, population growth, and conflicts with industrial fishing fleets. A more systematic and detailed analysis is needed to advance understanding about the relationship between subsistence and environmental change. &nbsp;