Identificación de las percepciones sobre el cambio en la compra y en el consumo de alimentos durante el COVID en adultos de parroquias urbanas y rurales del cantón Cuenca en el 2021

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world population causing changes in eating habits, food purchase and consumption, physical activity, emotional state, among others, due to the economic impact and the measures applied to avoid virus contagion. Objective: To analyze the perception of adults on the purchase, consumption and preparation of food practiced after the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Twenty adults from urban and rural areas of Cuenca participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted until information saturation. They were transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually. Results: Food purchase and consumption had changes since the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants indicated that they had difficulty accessing food due to their low purchasing power. Rural participants had access to natural foods from their crops. Conclusions: Participants in general had difficulties in accessing food with good nutritional quality, which could worsen the situation of food insecurity that existed in Ecuador before the pandemic. More studies are needed to generate strategies focused on improving the food situation of the population at the local and national level.