Presenter(s): Paige Plaskoff − International Studies
Faculty Mentor(s): Kristen Yarris
Poster 92
Research Area: Public Health and Traditional Medicine
Global health nutrition is a priority for achieving overall population health and preventing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even death (WHO). Healthy nutrition is related to a number of causes of morbidity and overall mortality. In Chile, the Ministry of Health has established a comprehensive plan for the nutritional health of its people by promoting healthy lifestyle campaigns and creating informative nutritional guides. However, there are barriers to achieving the guidelines set out in this plan. This project looks at the divide between nutritional goals and realities of modern day families, using the case study of a nutritionist working at CESFAM (Centro de Salud Familiar), a family health center in Putre, a small town in Northern Chile. The research included participant observation at the health center alongside the nutritionist, interviews with the nutritionist and traditional healers, and participant observation in the agricultural fields of Putre. The project asks: What changes are occurring from traditional to contemporary dietary patterns and practices, and how are these changes linked to changing agricultural practices? I respond to this question in part by analyzing nutritional differences between the large city of Arica and the town of Putre. The project foregrounds the obstacles that the Chilean population must overcome in order to move towards nutritional health, including cultural values placed on different types of food and availability of food for rural v. urban residents. Finally, I examine the recent change in Chile’s public health junk food legislation as a case study for global health nutrition.