Abstract

Objective: To analyse factors that determine food selection in poor families of 3 neighbourhoods of Santiago. Methodology: A survey of 150 families taken care by Fundación Rodelillo considered familiar structure, income, nutrition and motivations for food selection. The social economical level was classified according poverty criteria of MIDEPLAN. Results: 41% of the families were indigents, 42% poor non indigents, and 17% non poor. Income average per capita was $26,200 ± 15,760 and a 55.9 ± 24.6% of the income was used for feeding. Twenty seven percent had received information about feeding at school and 37% at a health care centre, oriented to diet therapy. The food guidelines and food pyramid were known by the 4% and 26% of the interviewed persons respectively. Over 80% of the families consumed soda drinks and snacks. The main factors to choose the foods were: economical, sensorial perceptions, convenience, to improve the familial feeding or to improve the child's growth. In poor families the economical factors had more relevance (84.6%), and the motivation to improve feeding (8.3%) and sensorial perceptions (7,1%) decreased (p<0.05). Conclusions: A low percentage of the interviewed persons knew food guidelines and food pyramid. In this families, the main reason for food selection were economical factors. Even in this adverse conditions it would be possible to teach how to select better foods using nutritional education.