RELACIÓN DEL ACCESO, SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA CON DIVERSIDAD ALIMENTARIA EN PERSONAS DE AMBOS SEXOS MAYORES A 65 AÑOS SAN PEDRO DE BARVA DE HEREDIA, COSTA RICA 2023

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.7862408055

• Palavras-chave: acceso, seguridad alimentaria, diversidad alimentaria, adultos mayores

• Keywords: access, food security, food diversity, older adults

• Abstract: Access to adequate nourishment is an essential component of food safety, and is especially relevant concerning older adults, who often face unique challenges with this issue due to their age, health, and socioeconomic circumstances. It refers mainly to the ability of individuals to purchase available food in sufficient quantities to sustain an adequate diet. Moreover, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Food Security is "when all people enjoy, at all times, access to the food needed in quantity and quality, guaranteeing them a state of well-being that contributes to their development". Food diversity implies a variety of foods available in a given region or community, in terms of species, varieties, means of production, preparation and ways of consuming them. Food diversity is essential for healthy and sustainable nutrition, as it allows for a balanced and diverse diet, rich in nutrients and flavors, and contributes to the conservation of agricultural and cultural biodiversity where tastes, food preferences and habits prevail in each household or individual. General objective: To relate access and food security according to ELCSA (Spanish acronym for Latin American and Caribbean Scale of Food Security) with food diversity according to FAO in people of both sexes over 65 years of age living in San Pedro de Barva de Heredia. Methodology: The approach of this research is quantitative, focused on the measurement and comparison of the variables, where the results gained from the study are presented in numerical data for their due interpretation, and based on a literature review to validate the significant variables under study. A sample of 65 older adults residing in San Pedro de Barva de Heredia was chosen. An interview is applied with data recorded in a Google FORMS questionnaire was completed, collecting sociodemographic data and access, using the ELCSA - Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale questionnaire, the WDDS-FAO Guide to measure food diversity at the individual and household level, and food diversity according to colors. Results: Generally, it can be stated that older adults have financial and physical access to meet basic food requirements, actual access to foods included in the basic food basket. As to food security, depending on the eating habits of the population, the majority of older adults have food security (54%), mild food insecurity (28%), moderate insecurity (9%) and severe food insecurity (9%). Finally, dietary diversity is mostly between medium and high (91%), indicating that most people consume between 4 and 6 food groups according to food habits in terms of taste, aversions, culture, and general eating behaviors according to the WDDS-FAO Guide for Measuring Dietary Diversity at the Individual and Household Level. Discussion: There is a correlation between access to food and food security and the dietary diversity of the people surveyed, and this relationship occurs mainly because the greater the dietary diversity the greater access to food and greater food security and vice versa. Conclusion: Food access and food security directly influence dietary diversity. Older adults have high dietary diversity, which is evidenced by the fact that they consume between four and six food types, which in turn shows that they have access to these at home. Nonetheless, this high diversity is in contrast with different levels of food insecurity evidenced in the older adults under study, which may be related to lack of nutritional awareness and inadequate feeding practices resulting in an unbalanced, nutrient deficient diet.