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The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Ecuadorian school population continues to increase. An important factor in children’s nutrition is the food offered in school canteens. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of the challenges faced by and facilities of school canteens in the provinces of southern Ecuador in terms of complying with national regulations. For this qualitative descriptive study, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 with six school canteen owners, six school directors, five health experts, and seven parents of children attending school from three provinces, Cañar, Azuay, and Morona Santiago, in Ecuador. The data were transcribed and subsequently analyzed in ATLAS ti. The participants indicated several challenges to comply with the regulations of school canteens, such as the expenses generated by them, the lack of control of street food vendors in the surroundings of the schools, and the lack of trained personnel. Regarding the facilities, they highlighted that the regulation for cleaning and hygiene are more easily fulfilled. Standards and control of the food stipend in school canteens are required to ensure a supply of healthy food for the children. Multiple challenges and strategies are proposed to improve the eating habits of the school population and to improve the nutrition of schoolchildren.

While life expectancy is increasing due to scientific advancement, quality of life in aging depends, among other factors, on the nutritional status and socioeconomic status of older adults. To determine socioeconomic status and its association with nutritional status as a predictor of food insecurity among older adults in southern Ecuador, a cross-sectional study of 188 older adults in urban areas and 212 in rural areas was conducted. Nutritional status, food insecurity, and socioeconomic status were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS v 15.0 for descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis. Of the older participants, 59% had malnutrition, the majority women, and 24.7% were in poverty. Underweight was associated with low socioeconomic status for adults between 65 and 74 years old (OR = 7.710; CI 95% = 1.691–35.147), while obesity was associated with low socioeconomic status and non-manual labor (OR = 3.048; CI 95% = 1.268–7.326). Over 80% of older adults living in homes without children younger than 18 and at low socioeconomic status had food insecurity. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity points to widespread nutritional problems, especially in rural areas, that are significantly associated with low socioeconomic status. This demonstrates the need for multidisciplinary programs and government policies that can contribute to reducing food insecurity among the highly vulnerable older population.

Las Prácticas de Formación Profesional que realizamos durante el año 2021 fueron llevadas a cabo en la Comisión Permanente por la Memoria de Berisso, un espacio de carácter político que realiza distintas intervenciones abocadas a mantener viva la Memoria y promover los Derechos Humanos, partiendo de la revisión de los procesos sucedidos durante la última dictadura Cívico Militar en el territorio de Berisso. La comisión es un espacio diverso y plural, en tanto está integrada por personas que forman parte de diferentes espacios políticos, culturales, organizaciones de Derechos Humanos e instituciones estatales. El proceso de toma de decisiones se da de forma horizontal, no existen jerarquías y se determinan las acciones y actividades a realizar mediante el consenso en instancias asamblearias, además toda actividad o iniciativa que llevan adelante es rigurosamente discutida, para que tenga un sentido y un valor para el territorio de Berisso. En relación a nuestra inserción y aportes a la Comisión, si bien la mayoría de las instancias de este proceso las realizamos de manera virtual debido a las disposiciones nacionales en torno a la pandemia por covid-19 (lo cual representó un desafío para generar un intercambio fluido con la institución), logramos como grupo, y a partir de los aportes de las docentes de la cátedra, impulsar algunas estrategias para acercarnos. En este sentido, estuvimos investigando y entrevistando a los distintos participantes y referentes del espacio para profundizar sobre el trabajo que realizan. La militancia de la Comisión y las distintas instancias que promueven, mancomunadamente con el Municipio de Berisso y la comunidad tienen una vinculación directa con las competencias del Trabajo Social, sobre todo cuando se trata de interpelar a la comunidad y promover la participación social., Facultad de Trabajo Social

Introducción: Las encuestas alimentarias, incluidas el cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos (CFCA) son un método económico, relativamente fácil de aplicar y necesario para la evaluación de la dieta de individuos y poblaciones. El objetivo de este estudio fue desarrollar un CFCA para población adulta ecuatoriana. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal, en 255 individuos adultos de ambos sexos entre 18 y 68 años residentes en 10 provincias del Ecuador. Se aplicó una encuesta recordatorio de 24 horas (R24h) para obtener información sobre el consumo dietético de la población y la construcción del instrumento. La elaboración de la lista de alimentos que compone el CFCA fue hecha a partir de la contribución porcentual de cada alimento para la estimación total de aporte de energía y nutrientes de interés, empleándose el método de Block. Resultados: se obtuvo un instrumento compuesto por 91 ítems alimentarios distribuidos en 7 categorías. El instrumento fue revisado por expertos de 4 universidades pertenecientes a la región, costa, sierra, y amazonia del Ecuador. Conclusiones: Este instrumento realiza una aproximación del consumo dietético de las tres regiones del Ecuador continental.

The use of new technologies in university education is indispensable for promoting the autonomous work and motivation of a new generation of students who use technology frequently and skillfully. For these reasons, integrated technology into teaching-learning processes is needed. Our study focused on the implementation of the Flipped Learning model (FL) in the Research Methodology course. The content and the activities for the pre-class and class were designed to develop the skills and competencies in the students and to propose a research design. For the first execution, open-access videos were used. After analyzing the first execution, the results showed the need to make personal videos, that include the exact content, making them more attractive for the students as well as to use strategies to ensure that the students prepare the pre-class appropriately. In conclusion, the model encourages students to include technologies as learning tools, adapt their schedules to take better advantage of classes, and apply the knowledge taught in videos to their classwork.

The increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) modified many tasks and strongly altered our behaviors. Having this in mind, the Flipped Learning (FL) model provides a promising learning alternative that links the learning environment with the student’s behavior while altering the traditional instruction model. The FL model involves activities in which students individually review online materials and develop projects and assignments in groups and on-site. The objective of this study was to evaluate the flipped learning model in arts education, more precisely how the introduction of this model affects the learning of the students from the University of Cuenca attending the course of music technology. The findings of this study highlighted the benefits of active learning and the acceptance of the material developed for the implementation of the FL model. Notwithstanding, the overall positive evaluation of the FL approach, the authors suggest carrying out more studies, involving a larger student population, to better identify and remedy remaining obstacles, what will facilitate the use of the FL model in other courses.

Developing competencies for high-impact projects to fulfill the space industry’s necessities in Mexico has been the mission of the SpaceMakers (SM) lab. This article aims to verify the efficacy of Project-Based Learning (PBL) as a strategy to train engineering students for the improvement of space-related projects. Considering the Penta helix ecosystem where academy, government, industry, society, and sustainable development are interconnected. In this regard, the division of areas is composed of Satellites, Rovers, and Rocketry, where the team members apply depending on their skills, capabilities, and area of expertise. It is worth mentioning that the importance of a multidisciplinary and well-organized group encourages women in STEM to take on challenges and projects focused on space technology.

There is abundant evidence on the occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in seawater. Even when these pollutants are dispersed in a huge mass of water, dilution is not fully achieved and thus quantifiable concentrations (ng L− 1) of antiinflammatory, antibiotics, antidepressants, and other drugs have been reported in the Mediterranean Sea, the Bohai Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Different to that happening in freshwater bodies, the removal of pharmaceutical residues in seawater is not a priority, since other important pollution problems, like garbage, oil spills, and nutrients have captured the attention of environmentalists, NGO, policy makers, and most of the scientific community. Due to this, very few efforts are made to recognize, reduce, and remove pharmaceutical residues in coastal and seawater. In this chapter, wastewater discharges and brine are recognized as the main sources of pharmaceutical residues in the marine environment. Three strategies to reduce the loads of pharmaceuticals discharged into the sea are explored: (a) water reuse schemes in coastal urbanizations, (b) the implementation of zero-liquid discharge regimes in membrane-based and thermal-based desalination processes, and (c) the implementation or tertiary treatment systems based on advanced oxidation processes to remove pharmaceutical residues from wastewater and brine prior to dispose of them into the sea. The role of international legislation to lessen the volume of wastewater discharged into the sea is explored through the most recent amendment of the MARPOL Annex IV document, aimed to protect the water quality of the Baltic Sea.

Ensure traceability and orchestration of the participants in the food supply chain can help improve the food production and reduce the distribution of unsafe or low-quality products. This article provides some insights about the design of a high-level architecture to support a semantic blockchain platform that ensures traceability and orchestration of the food systems. The design involves two layers that cover: (a) the decentralized orchestration of the participants, (b) the semantic modeling of the data and processes involved, and (c) the storage and integrity of the data. To deal with the platform design, it is analyzed the operation and attributes of the food supply chain management and it is discussed how the combination of Semantic and Blockchain technologies can address the platform features.

Los adultos mayores en el sur de Ecuador a menudo desconfian de los consejos de los nutricionistas cuando implementan cambios en sus practicas dieteticas. Esta desconfianza no es un desprecio manifiesto por el conocimiento nutricional experto, sino mas bien el resultado de practicas estructurales y situadas que combinan sospechas, desinformacion, limitaciones financieras y cuidado familiar. En este articulo, examinamos las practicas alimentarias de los adultos mayores del sur de Ecuador para comprender como se construye la desconfianza nutricional. Al hacerlo, nuestro objetivo es comprender como los adultos mayores incorporan, o no, conocimientos nutricionales expertos en sus practicas alimentarias. Al documentar etnograficamente las practicas alimentarias diarias entre los adultos mayores en sus hogares, junto con los discursos nutricionales de expertos, nuestros hallazgos revelan que, en primer lugar, existe una comprension local de "comer sano" conectado a las realidades vividas (por ejemplo, practicas agricolas, toxicidad agricola, edad, educacion, etc.). polifarmacia, lazos de parentesco) y, en segundo lugar, una desconexion entre el conocimiento nutricional experto y las practicas alimentarias vinculadas a como se produce y difunde el conocimiento (por ejemplo, relaciones de poder, vocabulario cientifico, percepciones de la salud). Comprender como los adultos mayores generan confianza en torno a la alimentacion puede ser un terreno fertil para promover un asesoramiento dietetico mas eficaz y adecuado entre comunidades o grupos especificos, como los adultos mayores.

Nutrition labeling is a public health tool that allows consumers to choose healthier foods and beverages. For this reason, there are protocols in place to monitor the food environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consistency of nutrition labeling on packages for processed and ultra-processed products (UPPs) found at the main supermarkets in Cuenca, Ecuador. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in which we identified label components on the packages of 1725 foods and beverages&mdash, including the nutrition table, statement on sweeteners, ingredient list, and the traffic light (TL) label&mdash, and determined the degree of consistency between the indicators reported on the traffic light label and those obtained from the information in the nutrition table. We found that 24% of products had inconsistencies in the traffic light label, and 10.9% of products had inconsistencies in the indicator for sugar specifically. The majority of inconsistencies were in the medium indicators for sugar (K = 0.68) and fat (0.75). The products with a medium indicator for sugar had a 1.98 (p &lt, 0.05, 95% CI 1.15, 3.39) times higher chance of having inconsistencies in comparison with the low indicator. Health authorities must create new guidelines to allow for continued monitoring of the nutrition and traffic light labels on products accessible to consumers.

Esta revisión bibliográfica está enfocada en la búsqueda de información relacionada con intervenciones educativas para la promoción de hábitos saludables en preescolares en Latinoamérica. Debido a los cambios en los patrones alimentarios que han surgido en Latinoamérica por diversos factores como la migración, la globalización, el desarrollo de la tecnología, la urbanización y la situación socioeconómica, las dietas tradicionales de esta región han experimentado una transición nutricional importante donde actualmente predominan los alimentos procesados altos en azúcar y grasa saturada. A esto se ha sumado la disminución de actividad física generando un incremento de la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en los diferentes grupos etarios, incluyendo a los preescolares. En efecto, la obesidad se ha convertido en una pandemia no solo a nivel latinoamericano sino también mundial. Como consecuencia, el aumento de la prevalencia de las Enfermedades Crónicas no Trasmisibles (ECNT) es un problema de salud que demanda una atención especial y urgente dentro del Sistema de Salud. Por lo tanto, las intervenciones educativas en alimentación saludable y actividad física son importantes y necesarias en los diferentes grupos etarios, especialmente en preescolares, puesto que los conocimientos y hábitos adquiridos a esta edad probablemente perdurarán también hasta la edad adulta. The material presented in this paper consists of a literature review about educative interventions promoting healthy habits in preschoolers in Latin-America. Due to changes in food patterns as a consequence of various factors such as migration, globalization, technology development, urbanization and socioeconomic status, underwent the traditional diets of this region drastic nutritional changes with an increased number of processed foods high in sugar and saturated fat. This transition coupled with a low prevalence of physical activity led to an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the different age groups including preschoolers. In fact, obesity has become a pandemic phenomenon not only in Latin American but worldwide. As a consequence, the increase in the prevalence of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is a health problem that requires special and urgent attention within the Health System. Therefore, educational interventions for healthy eating and physical activity are important and necessary for different age groups, especially for preschoolers since that knowledge and habits acquired at this age will probably remain during adulthood. Cuenca Volumen 8, número 2

RESUMEN La malnutrición y los factores que la determinan preocupan a nivel mundial; pues muchos de ellos podrían modificarse e impactar en favor de un envejecimiento saludable. El objetivo fue determinar la prevalencia de malnutrición y factores asociados en adultos mayores del cantón Gualaceo, Ecuador, mediante un estudio transversal en 250 adultos mayores, con muestreo probabilístico, estratificado y aleatorizado. Se evaluó el estado nutricional con Mini Nutritional Assessment y factores asociados como: depresión con la Escala abreviada de Depresión Geriátrica de Yesavage, actividad física con el Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física, el nivel socioeconómico con la Encuesta de Estratificación del Nivel Socioeconómico del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos, y parámetros de laboratorio. Se realizó estadística descriptiva y la asociación con razón de prevalencia y su intervalo de confianza al 95% y análisis multivariado. La prevalencia de malnutrición fue 20.4 %, el riesgo de malnutrición 47.2% y estado nutricional satisfactorio de 32.4%. La media de edad fue 76,3 (±8.2) años. Se evidenció que la quinta parte de la muestra tomada de adultos mayores del cantón Gualaceo tenía malnutrición y se asoció con: depresión, sedentarismo, bajo nivel socioeconómico y anemia, ratificando a la malnutrición como un problema de salud pública.

BSTRACT Industrial development has made new products available to people to make their lives easier. Items such as food, cleaning, personal care and health products, among others, are processed, sold and consumed daily by all age groups. These products include in their formulation inorganic and organic chemicals with the purpose of improving or increasing some of their properties, making them more attractive to the consumer. These substances are strictly controlled during production so that the final product may be safely consumed. In most cases, the constituents of commercial products end up in wastewater, where they are not controlled. These uncontrolled pollutants of differing chemical natures are known as “Emerging Contaminants” (ECs). Research worldwide has found ECs in various environmental matrices, especially water. To understand this problem, four fundamental aspects must be addressed: 1) the analytical methods for its determination; 2) the occurrence in environmental matrices; 3) the treatments for the removal of ECs in wastewater and drinking water plants; and 4) the risks to health and the environment. This document reviews these four aspects with regard to 14 ECs commonly found in the studies around the world and addresses the state of these ECs in transAmerican waters. O desenvolvimento industrial gerou novos produtos para facilitar a vida das pessoas. Itens como alimentos, higiene, cuidados pessoais e produtos de saúde, entre outros, são processados, vendidos e consumidos diariamente por todas as faixas etárias. Esses produtos incluem em sua formulação produtos químicos orgânicos e inorgânicos com o objetivo de melhorar ou aumentar algumas de suas propriedades, tornando-os mais atraentes para o consumidor. Essas substâncias são rigorosamente controladas durante a produção para que o produto final possa ser consumido com segurança. Na maioria dos casos, os constituintes dos produtos comerciais acabam em águas residuais onde não são controlados. Esses poluentes não controlados, de diferentes naturezas químicas, são conhecidos como "Contaminantes Emergentes" (CEs). Pesquisas em todo o mundo encontraram CEs em várias matrizes ambientais, especialmente na água. Para entender esse problema quatro aspectos fundamentais devem ser abordados: 1) os métodos analíticos para sua determinação; 2) a ocorrência em matrizes ambientais; 3) os tratamentos para a remoção de CEs em estações de tratamento de águas residuais e de água potável; e 4) os riscos para a saúde e o meio ambiente. Este documento analisa esses quatro aspectos em relação aos 14 CEs comumente encontrados em estudos internacionais que abordam a situação desses CEs em águas transamericanas. El desarrollo industrial ha puesto a disposición de las personas nuevos productos para facilitarles la vida. Artículos como alimentos, limpieza, cuidado personal y productos de salud, entre otros, son procesados, vendidos y consumidos diariamente por todos los grupos de edad. Estos productos incluyen en su formulación químicos inorgánicos y orgánicos con la finalidad de mejorar o incrementar algunas de sus propiedades, haciéndolos más atractivos para el consumidor. Estas sustancias se controlan estrictamente durante la producción para que el producto final pueda consumirse de forma segura. En la mayoría de los casos, los componentes de los productos comerciales terminan en las aguas residuales, donde no están controlados. Estos contaminantes incontrolados de diferentes naturalezas químicas se conocen como "contaminantes emergentes" (CE). La investigación en todo el mundo ha encontrado CE en varias matrices ambientales, especialmente en el agua. Para comprender este problema se deben abordar cuatro aspectos fundamentales: 1) los métodos analíticos para su determinación; 2) la ocurrencia en matrices ambientales; 3) los tratamientos para la remoción de CE en plantas de aguas residuales y potables; y 4) los riesgos para la salud y el medio ambiente. Este documento revisa estos cuatro aspectos con respecto a 14 CE que se encuentran comúnmente en los estudios en todo el mundo y aborda el estado de estas CE en aguas transamericanas. Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador Escuela de Química

El artículo aborda el consumo de drogas en territorio desde el paradigma de reducción de riesgos y daños. Las drogas y su consumo –como parte de la agenda de gobierno– nos desafían a pensar en intervenciones inclusivas e integrales en el territorio, en donde las redes resultan una clave para desarrollar y ejecutar estrategias asistenciales y preventivas en el marco de la Ley de Salud Mental y Adicciones; fortaleciendo desde la profesión de trabajo social la participación activa de las personas destinatarias detales estrategias, consideradas como sujetos de derechos. El artículo aborda el consumo de drogas en territorio desde el paradigma de reducción de riesgos y daños. Las drogas y su consumo –como parte de la agenda de gobierno– nos desafían a pensar en intervenciones inclusivas e integrales en el territorio, en donde las redes resultan una clave para desarrollar y ejecutar estrategias asistenciales y preventivas en el marco de la Ley de Salud Mental y Adicciones; fortaleciendo desde la profesión de trabajo social la participación activa de las personas destinatarias detales estrategias, consideradas como sujetos de derechos.

This article reports on a comparative study between the publication productivity of Ecuador’s leading Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) (as reported in the SCOPUS journal/proceedings database; https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus) and the publication efforts of similar universities in South-America and Western Europe when those universities converted from a “teaching-only” to a “teaching and research” focus. The authors highlight the causes of Ecuador’s research and publication paucity and suggest remedial strategies which focus on adjusting the profile and activities of Ecuador’s HEIs to better meet the skills gap in the 21st century economy; economy driven by innovation and knowledge. The article proposes that Ecuador’s HEIs make teaching collaborative and more affordable, stimulate faculty to examine society-relevant problems in teams, educate and encourage faculty to publish in peer-reviewed journals and enhance effectiveness and efficiency so that a stronger teaching-research-service nexus emerges; all even though Ecuador has entered a period of economic hardship with dwindling funds for higher education. Keywords : Ecuador, Higher Education Institutes, publication visibility, causal factors, remedial actions. RESUMEN Este articulo reporta un estudio comparativo entre el producto de publicaciones cientificas de las principales Instituciones de Educacion Superior (IES) en Ecuador (tal como se indica en la base de datos de revistas/actas de SCOPUS; https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus) con el record de publicaciones de Universidades en America del Sur y Europa Occidental cuando estas cambiaron de un enfoque de “ensenanza” hacia uno de “ensenanza e investigacion”. Los autores discuten las causas del bajo nivel de investigacion y el reducido numero de publicaciones en las IES ecuatorianas; y proponen estrategias correctivas para ajustar el perfil y las actividades de las IES del Ecuador con el objeto de contrarrestar el deficit de habilidades necesarias para impulsar la economia del siglo XXI; economia impulsada por la innovacion y el conocimiento. El articulo propone que es necesario que las IES ecuatorianas faciliten el aprendizaje colaborativo y flexible, que aliente a los profesores a formar equipos de trabajo para examinar e investigar los problemas relevantes de la sociedad; ademas, de incentivar que estos difundan los resultados de sus investigaciones en revistas con revision por pares; de este modo, se lograra mejorar la eficacia y la eficiencia de las IES ecuatorianas al crear un nexo fuerte entre ensenanza-investigacion-vinculacion. Labor indispensable, a pesar de que Ecuador ha entrado en un periodo de dificultades economicas con la subsecuente disminucion de los fondos para la educacion superior. Palabras clave : Ecuador, Institutos de Educacion Superior, visibilidad de la publicacion, factores causales, acciones correctivas.

Mental health and food insecurity are major public health issues among adolescents in Ecuador. Our objective was to determine the relationship between hunger, symptoms of depression, and suicidal ideation among school-going Ecuadorian adolescents. We conducted crude and multivariable logistic regression models using data from the 2007 Global School-based Student Health Survey from Quito, Guayaquil, and Zamora, Ecuador (N = 5524). Hunger was defined as having gone hungry in the past 30 days due to lack of food in the home. Outcomes of interest were symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation with or without planning in the past year. Overall, 41.2 % (2200/5467) of students reported experiencing hunger. In multivariable logistic regression models, hunger had an increasing exposure–response relationship with symptoms of depression [sometimes hungry odds ratio (OR) 1.80, P = 0.0001; most of the time or always hungry OR 2.01, P

We assessed the development, nutritional status, and complementary feeding of 12- to 23-month-old children from Cuenca, Ecuador in 2013. Ecuador, an upper-middle-income country, developed a child policy in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. We collected cross-sectional survey data. Child development was assessed using the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Guide–2011. The nutritional status was defined with WHO Child Growth Standards−2006. We investigated nutrient density, WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding Indicators, and nutrient supplementation intake of the complementary feeding. In all, 11.7% of children had “possible developmental delay,” stunting was identified in 29.4% of the children, and 25.3% faced overnutrition (overweight risk/overweight/obesity). The complementary feeding composition can be summarized as having adequate fat, high energy (MJ/day) and protein, and low iron and zinc. Children with “possible developmental delay” received less iron ( P < .05) than children with normal development. Overall, 30.4% of children had minimum dietary diversity. A total of 47.7% of children received nutrient supplementation. This epidemiological profile of infants remains a challenge for Ecuador’s health programs.

Introduction: therapeutic lifestyles changes including frequent consumption of legumes have resulted in improved metabolic control and decreased blood pressure in type 2 diabetes-mellitus (T2DM) patients. Objective: this was a quasi-experimental-28-week crossover-study that assessed the effect of daily consumption of the legume Lupinus mutabilis (LM) on metabolic control of T2DM patients under hypoglycemic oral treatment. Material and methods: we recruited 79 adult male and female patients that were followed for 14-weeks without LM consumption and then received increasing doses of a LM-based-snack for other 14-weeks. Results: there was a significant decrease in blood pressure and a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol by the end of the study period. While patients with A1C concentrations8 and ≤ 10 did not significantly improve their metabolic control, patients with serum A1C concentrations ≤ 8.0% reduced significantly their A1C after the intervention and 71% achieved a target concentration of 6.5%. Conclusion: patients with T2DM could benefit with the addition of LM-snack to their conventional treatment.Introducción: los cambios recomendados sobre los estilos de vida, incluido el consumo frecuente de leguminosas, han resultado en un mejor control metabólico y disminución de la presión arterial en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DMT2). Objetivo: este fue un estudio casi experimental cruzado de 28 semanas que evaluó el efecto del consumo diario de la leguminosa Lupinus mutabilis Sweet (LM) en el control metabólico de pacientes con DMT2 con tratamiento oral hipoglucemiante. Material y métodos: inicialmente se reclutaron 79 pacientes adultos, hombres y mujeres, que fueron seguidos durante 14 semanas sin consumo de LM y luego recibieron dosis crecientes de un tentempié de LM durante otras 14 semanas. Resultados: se observó una disminución significativa en la presión arterial y un aumento significativo en el colesterol-HDL después del consumo de LM. Mientras que los pacientes con concentraciones de A1C sérica8 y ≤ 10 no mejoraron significativamente su control metabólico, los pacientes con concentraciones séricas de A1C ≤ 8,0% redujeron significativamente su A1C después de la intervención y el 71% de estos pacientes llegó a la meta de tratamiento ≤ 6,5%. Conclusión: los pacientes con DMT2 podrían beneficiarse con la adición de un tentempié de LM a su tratamiento convencional.

INTRODUCTION In Ecuador, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-age children is more than triple that of preschool-age children; however, preschoolers have not been the target of interventions. METHODS We developed an educational and behavioral intervention that included games, singing, and storytelling. Children were recruited from municipal preschools in Cuenca and were enrolled in the pilot intervention (PI) (N=155) for the 2015-2016 school year, which consisted of a 3-month in-school program. For the 2016-2017 school year, a separate group of children was enrolled in the enhanced intervention (EI) (N=152), which consisted of a 7-month program at both school and home. RESULTS Parents in both groups reported a post-intervention reduction in their child's daily at-home consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (PI: -23.2%, P < .001; EI: -16.8%, P < .001). Additional beneficial effects of the EI not observed with the PI were an increase in drinking water daily at home (+8.3%, P = .04) and eating fruits and vegetables daily for snacks at home (+21.8%, P < .001), a reduction in excessive weekend screen time (-7.6%, P = .03), and a reduction of 0.11 in mean BMI-for-age z score (P = .003). When comparing the PI and EI, the EI was associated with a greater difference in mean BMI-for-age z score (-0.25; P < .001) and fruit and vegetable consumption (+15.9%; P = .01). CONCLUSION Our preschool-based intervention appeared to be successful in promoting healthy lifestyle habits, especially when combined with a household component. Further research is needed to determine if the intervention had long-term effects, as well as to adapt it for different settings.

Ecuador is undergoing a nutrition tran- sition where overweight/obesity coexist with under-nutrition. The objective of this study was to determine nutritional status, physical activity, fruit and vegetables consumption frequency among school-going adolescents in the canton of Paute and further explore if these variables were differential by urban vs. rural residence. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a random sample of students aged 12 to 19 years from the only two public secondary schools in the canton Paute. We determined nutritional status according to the World Health Organization criteria. Demographics, physical activity habits, fruit and vegetable consumption frequency were determined by questionnaires. Of the total of 314 students, 44.9% lived in urban area and 55.1% in rural area. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was significantly higher among students with urban vs. rural residence (28.4% vs. 17.9%; P=.03). The prevalence of stunting was significantly higher among students with rural vs. urban residence (31.8% vs. 16.3%; P=.002). There were no significant differences detected between groups in the frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables. Urban residence was asso- ciated with a greater mean number of minutes of outdoor recreation after school (76.0 minutes vs. 57.1 minutes; P=.02), greater weekly hours of planned physical activity (2.0 hours vs. 1.6 hours; P=.007), and greater daily screen time in front of a television or computer (3.2 hours vs. 2.5 hours; P.001). Interventions to prevent or reduce overweight/obesity in Paute and other similar areas with students from both urban and rural areas should consider place of residence in their design.