María Eugenia Galiana-Sánchez

Género y profesión en la evolución histórica de la Enfermería Comunitaria en España

Community and public health is probably the field where nurses have achieved the highest levels of professional independence, and their contribution is most valued. However, there are still major obstacles to full development, some of them linked to gender. It is therefore important to analyse the historical background of this situation in Spain in order to gain a better understanding of the many problems and shortcomings that still persist in Community Nursing today. Community nurses contributed to the development of Public Health in contemporary Spain, starting in the 1920s and culminating in the Second Republic. However, the Franco regime brought a halt to the process of professionalisation. By analysing the public conflict between visiting female nurses and practicantes (professional male medical auxiliary technicians) during the Second Republic and throughout the Franco regime, we examine the impact of gender on the development of nursing in Spain as one of the conditioning factors, and how it continues to influence the structuring of competencies and the distribution of responsibilities and power in this field.

Malnutrición y desigualdades en la España del desarrollismo: las encuestas rurales de alimentación y nutrición

INTRODUCTION the stage of autarky and early years of developmentalism was one of the periods in the contemporary history of Spain when inequalities in food and nutrition became more pronounced. OBJECTIVES to examine malnutrition among the rural population (municipalities with fewer than 2000 inhabitants), including territorial inequalities and the delayed onset of a rural food and nutrition transition. METHODS we analysed the rural food and nutrition surveys carried out by the General Commission for Supplies and Transport (Spanish initials: CAT) and the Food and Nutrition Education Programme (Spanish initials: EDALNU) between 1964 and 1972. RESULTS the rural population presented a deficit of animal proteins, calcium and vitamins A and B2, due to scant consumption of protective foods. Andalucía and inland Spain were the regions with the highest percentage of people whose diet did not meet nutritional requirements. These deficiencies were not only responsible for the prevalence of caries and skin, mucous membrane and eye lesions, but were also behind delayed growth (height and weight). This was not the result so much of poverty as of the persistence of poor eating habits. CONCLUSIONS besides evidencing the delayed onset of a food and nutritional transition in the Spanish rural population, our findings document policies that sought to encourage the consumption of protective foods in rural areas and empower the population with regard to food and nutrition.

La red de promotores de salud como estrategia de educación alimentaria: el ejemplo del Programa EDALNU (1963-1994)

Food and nutrition education is an essential tool to ensure public health. The year 1961 saw the launch of the Food and Nutrition Education Programme (EDALNU), which helped Spanish population to complete their nutrition transition. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the health education network which was created as part of the program. A total of 46,752 people, 94% of whom were women, received training on food and nutrition. Of these, 89.54% obtained the basic certificate, and 8.80% were awarded the diploma. Some 1,407 courses were given, reaching a peak in 1979 with 131 courses and 4,029 students. The most active provinces were Madrid, with 26.65% of the courses; Valencia, with 7.60%; Murcia, with 7.53%, and Malaga, with 6.75%. The Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education organized the largest number of courses (26.23%), followed by the Women’s Section (11.16%) and Catholic Action (5.12%). Diploma courses were taught for 160 hours, while basic courses lasted 40 hours. The training delivered was affected by changes in the EDALNU program and the Spanish administrative and political structure. Our research revealed that the development and gender balance of the network of trainers presented regional inequalities, and that a wide range of institutions were involved in delivering the courses