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Background Currently, many public health issues are directly related to malnutrition, and are made worse by social inequities. Nutrition professionals must be a key player in improving epidemiological aspects of nutrition-related diseases and must be part of clinical teams to control nutritional concerns. Objective To identify and analyze the nutritionists´ employment situation in Ecuador and areas of work covered and determine if type of university has an impact over work situation. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted, approved by the ethics committee of Universidad San Francisco de Quito. It included 442 nutritionists in Ecuador who graduated in 13 universities (5 private (PR) and 8 public (PU)) between 2008 and 2019. It implied an online survey that questioned their satisfaction with their education and current work situation. All the statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.0.3, two-sided weighted chi-square test was performed to estimate the difference between public and private university graduates, IC 95%, p between 0.01 and 0.05. Results 38,6% of participants are unemployed, 68,28% private university graduates (PR) are currently employed and 58.87% work as nutritionists, compared to 56,86% from a public university (PU) currently working and 44.69% working in the field. 76% have reported being unemployed at some point in their careers, being difficulty finding jobs the main reason. Regarding the professional field, most professionals have their own business, and the less common area of work was public and community nutrition. One third of the participants had another paid activity. The main salary is 800USD per month and graduated from PR perceived better salaries than from PU. Conclusion There is a lack of job opportunities for Ecuadorian nutritionists despite the high demand in every level of the health system. Most have been unemployed at some point in their careers due to difficulties finding jobs. There is a minimum nutrition staff working in community and public health nutrition.

Background In 2021, WHO notes that globally, 32% of annual deaths worldwide are due to cardiovascular causes, which have been attributed to excessive sodium intake, and therefore recommends a reduction in salt intake to less than 5 g/day. Ecuador does not have data on sodium consumption in the population. Hence, this study sought to determine the association between sodium consumption and sociodemographic variables in subjects living in urban areas of Ecuador. Objectives Determine the main dietary sources of sodium in subjects living in urban areas of the Coast and Highlands of Ecuador, and the association between sodium intake and sociodemographic variables such as: sex, region, marital status, socio-economic and educational level of this population. Methods Sodium intake was studied in 800 subjects of both sexes aged 15 to 65 years living in urban areas in Ecuador, originating from the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS) between 2014 and 2015. Data were obtained through two 24-hour recalls, and were accessed according to sex, region, age, marital status, socio-economic and educational levels. Results The mean sodium intake was 4900 mg/day (SD ± 1188.32 mg/day), and both sexes exceeded the recommendations. Adjusting for energy intake, sodium consumption is higher in participants aged 50–65 years, from low socio-economic status and with basic education level. A positive relationship was found between sodium and energy intake. Around 48% of the sodium sources included the spices, condiments and herbs group. Within this group, salt itself constitutes 99% of sodium sources. Conclusions The Ecuadorian population consumes more than double the sodium recommendations, which vary according to gender and age. The first source of sodium is salt itself, which is part of spices and condiments food group. This data is important to formulate public health policies and interventions in Ecuador, especially in the population at risk.

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