Abstract

ARELLANO GALVEZ, María del Carmen; ALVAREZ GORDILLO, Guadalupe del Carmen  and  EROZA SOLANA, Enrique. Food and health practices among migrant agricultural workers in Miguel Alemán, Sonora, Mexico. PSM [online]. 2019, vol.17, n.1, pp.201-224. ISSN 1659-0201.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/psm.v17i1.37822.

Objective: to analyze the continuity or change in feeding practices and their relationship with health among migrant farm workers who go from southern Mexico to Sonora. Methods: qualitative study through in-depth interviews with 21 male and female migrants (10 seated and 11 pendulous) about changes in feeding practices when migrating from rural areas of the Mexican southeast to the Miguel Alemán, Sonora. Results: There was a decrease in self-consumption practices and the increase in the consumption of industrialized foods was reinforced, which is related to the material conditions of life such as the economic and environmental difficulties to access food of cultural preference, as well as the long working hours that change the moments and spaces to eat. The change in eating practices is related between pendulous migrants with weight loss and gastrointestinal problems, while settled migrants report problems such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and lower perceived quality of life. Conclusions: there is a contradiction between the ideals of food and feeding practices, since the relationship between industrialized foods and certain diseases is identified, but the material life conditions allow new patterns of consumption, despite knowing the effect on health.

Keywords : food; chronic diseases; farmers; Sonora; Mexico.

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