Association between food security and family functionality in primary care

Abstract

Food security is the condition in which a person has, at all times, physical and economical means to access sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs to lead an active and healthy life. Food insecurity is the restraint or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the imitation of acquiring such food in socially acceptable ways.1–3 In Mexico, the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) reported that approximately one out of every three households suffers from food insecurity in its moderate or severe form. It was associated with the coexistence of malnutrition in children, along with diabetes, overweight and obesity in adults, which in turn prevent the physical and intellectual development of the individual.1–4 The degree of family functionality, defined as the ability to face and overcome each one of the stages of the life cycle and the crises that it goes through, is determined by various factors, which include: communication, individuality, decision making and reaction to critical events.5–7 In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that, worldwide, more than 840 million people suffer from chronic undernourishment due to the fact that dietary energy requirements is inadequate to cover the minimum necessities to achieve an acceptable lifestyle. In Mexico, the prevalence undernourishment was 5% in 2010 and in Latin American and the Caribbean, hunger affects 49 million people.8,9 The relevant socio-demographic and health characteristics of Mexican homes with food insecurity can be attributed to low parental educational levels, lack of economical resources from social programs, among others.9 A study conducted in 50,528 Mexican households noted that the prevalence of food insecurity was 70.6%; the majority of individuals had low economical status, lack of education and a higher probability of obesity.10 The states with a higher proportion of either moderate or severe food insecurity are: (49%), Guerrero (44%), and Chiapas (38.9%). In houses where parents speak an indigenous language, food insecurity escalates to 42.2%.11 According to national statistics, in Mexico, 7 out of every 10 households show some degree of food insecurity: 41.6% is mild, 17.7% moderate and 10.5% severe.12,13 There are few publications, either national or worldwide, that show an association between food security and family functionality, which is why the objective of this study is to determine if there is one in a primary care setting.