Analysis of the agri-food situation of the primary school community, San Miguel El Piñón, Tlaxcala

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this research was to analyze the agri-food situation of the community of San Miguel El Piñón, municipality of Españita, Tlaxcala; based on the nutritional status of primary school children with the purpose of identifying components for the design and execution of strategies that allow an improvement in food and nutritional security in this rural territory, especially in the school-age population.
Design/methodology/approach: through participatory action research, information from mothers and 44 children from a primary school in San Miguel El Piñón, Tlaxcala, was analyzed.
Results: The results regarding nutritional status, based on the weight and height of the participating children, show that 69.6% of the children in the school have a healthy weight. However, 26.1 % are presenting a malnutrition condition, and no data were obtained for 4.3 %. At the community level, a situation of food insecurity was identified; therefore, families are not able to have a balanced diet.
Limitations on study/implications: The results apply to the selected sample, although it was studied directly, the sample is small, but it confirms the national trends regarding this problem.
Findings/conclusions: The situation found is worrying because the physical, psychosocial and cognitive growth and development of infants may be affected. The child nutritional evaluation and the community analysis of food production and purchase revealed problems of child malnutrition in the sample studied.