1 Universidad de Monterrey, Monterrey, México; 2 Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
Mexico, as many other countries, is currently facing both sides of malnutrition. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has risen substantially worldwide in less than one generation, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. This problem goes beyond food availability. We are facing a diet transition that includes more and more processed food, an inadequate vegetable intake and sedentary activities. “Comer en Familia”, a one-year pilot community-based nutrition psychoeducational program for women of reproductive age was designed to promote healthy eating knowledge, skills and habits. The intervention is being tested in five communities through a food bank in Coahuila, in northern Mexico. Baseline measurements on a sample of 93 caregivers and their children show co-occurrence of undernutrition and obesity in both of them. There were 2.2% mothers with anemia, 44.1% with overweight, and 33.4% with obesity. According to World Health Organization child growth standards, there were 4.3% children with severe undernutrition, 1.1% with moderate undernutrition 12.5% with overweight, 8.6% with obesity, and 29% with anemia. This poses a unique challenge that we are trying to cope through visiting the communities with a mobile kitchen, preparing healthy meals based on regional vegetables, trying to improve knowledge, culinary and back to the family eating practices as well as to reduce food waste inside the home. Biochemical indicators that will be used in the monitoring evaluation will help us verify if knowledge was translated to behavioral change.