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Nutritional and health behavior of the indigenous pregnant women in the community of Tunshi-San Nicolas, Chimborazo Province

The nutritional food situation in our country is alarming, by what has been classified as a major public health problem, their principle manifestation is the protein malnutrition- energy, with a high prevalence in urban zones- marginal and rural population. It is considered that the main causes that originate on one hand are still deteriorating at a level of income in the popular sectors with the consequent impossibility of access to basic services such as housing, education, stable jobs, health services (drinking water, sewage, etc.) appropriate food regimes, greatly affecting those vulnerable groups such as children and women in fertile years. (1) The nutritional problem is so bad where a major part of the pregnant women in the country live, that they compromise not only their physiological conditions but what is even more serious, the irreversible attention to uterine development of children, causing degeneration in growth and development. (2) (3) Around a half a million women in the world die annually due to complications related with pregnancy and delivery, 99 percent of these deaths coming from countries in development. Women of said countries have a greater number of pregnancies and reduced access to adequate medical services in developing countries. A good number of maternal deaths could be prevented through routine prenatal and obstetric services. (4) As such in 1998 at a national level they determined that 60% of pregnant women died from anemia due to the lack of iron, 30-40% suffered from some type of malnutrition and 30% of Ecuadorian women had children without previous assistance. (5) According to CEPAR, in Ecuador the reason for maternal mortality estimated by ENDEMAIN -94 during the period of 1988-1994, was 160 maternal deaths per 1000 live births for women between the ages of 15-49; this means that approximately 460 women die each year due to causes of pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum. (6) Moreover, our country is generating a social process - organized to strengthen the farming organization and to seek alternatives that address this serious situation and, upon further analysis of these causes, more concerns and realities are born that require special attention such as the women situation, whose role is fulfilled within the family and community. (19) Due to the migration of man to different workplaces in search of a better life for the family, the indigenous woman faces the responsibility of double shifts that link the poverty condition and neglect of members of the family, causing serious nutritional disorders. Faced with this situation, the Faculty of Nutrition and Health Education, in agreement with the Benson institute, has started a study on feeding behavior and health of indigenous women during the period of pregnancy, with the purpose of contributing to the change of their way of life and thus avoid possible risk factors.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-6409
Date01 January 1999
CreatorsOrdonez Gavilanez, Sandra
PublisherBYU ScholarsArchive
Source SetsBrigham Young University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations
CoverageChimborazo (Ecuador)
Rightshttp://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

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