Análisis de los posibles cambios en los hábitos de alimentación en niños de edad escolar de la provincia de Tungurahua a causa de la pandemia por Covid-19

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has generated uncertainty worldwide, radically changing human daily life with the implementation of different contingency measures that prevented the rapid expansion of the virus. Isolation, social restriction, modification of daily routines, accessibility to food, among others, caused changes in the eating habits of highly vulnerable population groups such as schoolchildren. Regarding the collection of information to identify the changes caused in the eating habits of the study group, it was decided to design and apply a semi-structured questionnaire online using the free Google Forms software, due to the Covid-19 health emergency. In addition, the instrument was validated using Cronbach's Alpha method and the sample size was defined using statistical calculations. The results achieved show that the current eating habits of the study population do not maintain a balanced and balanced diet that meets the nutritional requirements of the body, since according to the HEI the population is classified into the following categories: 25.92 per percent with healthy eating, 70.42 percent with regular eating and 3.66 percent with unhealthy eating, the latter being the ones who need immediate changes in their food intake. In conclusion, it was observed that the virus brought with it a number of consequences that affected eating behaviors and lifestyles, mainly caused by the availability of economic resources and the accessibility of food.