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. 2018 Sep 12;14(1):93.
doi: 10.1186/s12992-018-0409-y.

Overweight, obesity, and food consumption in Galapagos, Ecuador: a window on the world

Wilma B Freire  1 , William F Waters  2 , Diana Román  1 , Elisa Jiménez  1 , Estefania Burgos  1 , Philippe Belmont  1
Affiliations

Overweight, obesity, and food consumption in Galapagos, Ecuador: a window on the world

Wilma B Freire et al. Global Health. .

Abstract

Background: In order to understand why rates of overweight and obesity are so high in the Ecuadorian province of Galapagos, this study analyzes changes in household food expenditures and perceptions and practices related to food consumption patterns. Galapagos is understood as an unusual but not unique case because conditions there graphically illustrate trends observed in communities and countries worldwide. A mixed methods approach was employed: a quantitative component was based on expenditures for foods classified according to the NOVA system, and a qualitative component utilized focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and structured observations.

Results: Galapagos residents increased consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods and decreased consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods. Perceived barriers to healthy diets include price, availability, and quality of fresh produce, as well as easy access to industrialized processed and ultra-processed foods.

Conclusions: Changes in consumption patterns represent both local conditions and global trends; in that sense, the factors that affect Galapagos residents are not unique. Hence, these findings help elucidate processes observed in communities around the world.

Keywords: Diet; Ecuador; Mixed methods; Overweight and obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the IRB of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Written informed consent was provided by participants in the qualitative component of the study.

Consent for publication

The authors consent for publication. Written informed consent was obtained from participants in the qualitative component for publication of their individual details in this manuscript. The consent form is held by the authors and is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief. Quantitative data: not applicable. Table 1 is based on publically-available data bases, which contain aggregated and anonymous information on sex and age that do not allow for identification of participants in the surveys, which were previously conducted by the Ecuadorian national census bureau.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

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