Browsing by Autor "Jorge E. Uquillas"

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Diet and nutritional status among cassava producing agriculturalists of coastal Ecuador
(Taylor & Francis, 1994) William R. Leonard; Kathleen M. DeWalt; Jorge E. Uquillas; Billie R. DeWalt
This paper investigates the correlates of dietary consumption and nutritional status among a sample of 43 cassava producing households of coastal Ecuador. Household energy consumption in the sample is marginally adequate and is substantially higher than that observed among coffee producing farmers from the same region (2459 vs. 1851 kcal/day). Cassava producing farmers also derive a much larger share of their diet from home produced foods (34% vs. 24% of energy intake). The more varied and adequate diet of the cassava sample is clearly reflected in children's nutritional status. Children of the cassava sample have significantly higher height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age and mid arm circumference measures than their counterparts from the coffee sample. Within the cassava sample, livestock ownership and per capita expenditures on market foods are the strongest and most consistent predictors of children's nutritional status. Animal production appears to be particularly important since it is largely under female control and it provides both income and high quality food for home consumption. Overall, better dietary and nutritional status of the cassava sample relative to the coffee sample appears to be associated with a more adequate balance between income generation and subsistence production.
Ecological correlates of dietary consumption and nutritional status in highland and coastal Ecuador
(Taylor & Francis, 1993) William R. Leonard; Kathleen M. DeWalt; Jorge E. Uquillas; Billie R. DeWalt
This paper investigates the patterns of variation in food availability and nutritional status among small‐scale farmers from highland and coastal regions of Ecuador. Dietary adequacy is greater among households of the highland sample and appears to be associated with higher consumption of foods from subsistence production. Energy consumption is marginal in the coastal sample where farmers are involved in the production of coffee as a cash crop. Households on the coast rely on inexpensive market foods and obtain less than a quarter of their energy from home‐produced items. Early childhood growth is poor in both regions. In the highland sample, older children have relatively better nutritional status, whereas nutritional status declines in the older cohorts of the coastal sample. Children's nutritional status (weight‐for‐age and weight‐for‐height) is correlated with household dietary adequacy in the highland sample; in the coastal group, per capita income is the strongest correlate of nutritional status. These results highlight important differences in the correlates of dietary consumption and nutritional status among small‐scale producers in two distinct farming systems. Key words: Food consumptionnutritional statusfarming systemscash croppingsubsistence productionEcuador