Objetivo: desde el enfoque de Justica Ambiental, este trabajo compara las condiciones socioeconómicas que caracterizan a grupos de población en desventaja social, con énfasis en los niños/as residentes en localidades rurales situadas en las principales regiones agrícolas del estado de Sonora, México. Metodología: el estudio es cuantitativo, no experimental, transversal relacional y comparativo. La información se obtuvo de un cuestionario socioeconómico familiar aplicado a mujeres-madre (n≤363) y un test psicológico a población infantil (n=698). Con los datos del primer instrumento se elaboró el Índice de Condiciones Socioeconómicas (ICSe) y el de Condiciones de Salud (ICSa). Resultados: el ICSe difiere de manera altamente significativa por tipo de localidad (.0001); por origen indígena (0.001); y por zona agrícola (0.04), de menor a mayor nivel en norte<sur<centro. Limitaciones: respecto al ICSa, la información fue proporcionada por las madres de los niños/as. Se sugiere corroborar los datos de salud de los niños/as con especialistas de salud reconocidos oficialmente. Conclusiones: las condiciones socioeconómicas y de salud de la población que reside en localidades rurales son más bajas que las del grupo control (urbano). La población infantil de origen indígena presenta condiciones de mayor vulnerabilidad. En el grupo rural, la población que reside en la región norte y centro presenta condiciones socioeconómicas más bajas. Se recomienda continuar el estudio e instrumentar programas de intervención social que atiendan tales diferencias.

Objectives Dietary acculturation consists of adopting food culture after migration to a host country. The purpose of this study was to describe how Mexican-born women perceive factors which contributed to their changes in dietary habits after migrating to the United States (US). Methods Fifteen self-identified Mexican women (41 ± 7 years old) residing in a Southwestern US metropolitan area and who had lived in the US for &gt;1 year participated in semi-structured interviews conducted in Spanish. Interview guides, developed from a constructivist perspective, asked about the US food culture, changes in dietary habits, loss or maintenance of native food culture, and the incorporation of elements of the new food culture. Interview audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed based on pre-established theoretical categories using MAXQDA 2018. Results Half of the participants worked full time (53%) and had a household income of less than $2000/month (53%). When comparing the US food culture to that of Mexico, the majority of participants perceived greater availability and access to fast food (n = 9). Some participants identified feeling pressure for purchasing larger amounts of food to save money (n = 2). Only one participant associated high intake of fresh and nutritious food with the US food culture. Some participants perceived having more competing demands for time, resulting in not having enough time to prepare household meals (n = 3). Women referred to having maintained the consumption of meat, multiple ingredients (e.g., tortillas, limes, chili peppers), and products of Mexican traditional cuisine (n = 15), but having lost flavors (n = 11), commensality (n = 8), ways of preparation (n = 7), food freshness (n = 3) and smells (n = 1). Even though vegetables and trendy-health products were reported as newly incorporated elements in the diet (n = 7), participants also reported the incorporation of frozen (n = 2) and pre-cooked products (n = 2), which they considered are characteristic from the US diet. Conclusions Findings suggest that dietary acculturation among Mexican immigrant women is a complex process. This points to the importance of considering the cultural aspects of diet when designing strategies to improve diet and health for this group. Funding Sources CONACYT, Mexico and Program for Transborder Communities.

Objectives Migration to the US has been associated with food insecurity and detrimental changes in diet quality. How these changes affect women in context of their neighborhood food environment has not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to assess if food insecurity is associated with diet quality and to explore if perceived food availability moderates this purported association in a sample of Mexican immigrant women. Methods Mexican-born women (n = 57, 41 ± 7 y) residing in a southwestern US metropolitan area for &gt;1 y self-reported food security status, monthly fast-food frequency, and their perception of fruit, vegetables, and low-fat product availability within their neighborhood via survey. Diet was assessed using the Southwest Food Frequency Questionnaire to estimate intake of fruit, vegetables, salty snacks, sugar, and healthy eating index (HEI)-2015 score. Independent samples t-tests compared dietary outcomes between women classified as food secure (n = 41; high or marginal food security) and food insecure (n = 16; low or very low food security). A moderation analysis assessed the effect of the perception of the neighborhood food environment on the relationship between food security and HEI-2015 score. Results Fifty four % of participants worked full time and 42% had a monthly household income &lt;$2000. Relative to women classified as food secure, participants experiencing food insecurity had lower HEI-2015 (61 ± 8 vs. 66 ± 6; P = 0.03). Albeit not significantly different, women experiencing food insecurity reported lower intake of fruit (236 ± 178 vs. 294 ± 239 g), vegetables (303 ± 188 vs. 331 ± 199 g), and salty snacks (6 ± 5 vs. 8 ± 10 g), as well as higher intake of sugar (99 ± 55 vs. 96 ± 56 g) and fast food (2.5 ± 2.5 vs. 1.8 ± 1.7 times per month). Among women experiencing food insecurity, there was a trend for a lower perception of neighborhood fruit, vegetable and low-fat product availability being associated with lower HEI-2015 scores (54 ± 6) relative to those who perceived moderate (63 ± 6) or high (65 ± 8) neighborhood availability of those foods (P = 0.07). Conclusions Findings suggest a need for better understanding of how neighborhood food availability may affect diet quality among Mexican immigrant women experiencing food insecurity. Funding Sources CONACYT, Mexico, and Program for Transborder Communities.