Abstract

During the last decades, migration increased considerably in Chile, generating concern for the health of migrants. On the one hand, food preferences oriented to the host territory have been associated with lower food quality and indicators of malnutrition; on the other hand, migrant schoolchildren present a lower risk of excess malnutrition. The objective of this research was to compare the overall food quality and food preferences of Chilean and migrant schoolchildren residing in Chile. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out, which included a sample of 534 migrant and non-migrant schoolchildren, of both sexes, who were selected by convenience, completing a questionnaire on food quality and food preferences. Frequency distributions were analyzed using the chi-square test by groups. Migrant schoolchildren reported better overall food quality compared to Chilean schoolchildren (p=0.002), with better indicators in the dimensions of healthy, unhealthy food, and meal times. We observed statistically significant differences in overall food quality by time of residence (p=0.025) in favor of those migrants with more than 5 years of residence. It is noteworthy that the healthy category reached its highest proportion (41.4%) among those with five or more years of residence in Chile. The overall quality of food increased in migrants when food preferences were oriented to the territory of origin. In Chilean schoolchildren, overall food quality increased when they preferred foods not characteristic of Chile. In conclusion, migrant schoolchildren reported a higher overall food quality compared to Chilean schoolchildren, and this increased when the time of residence was 5 or more years. Further research is needed on the overall food quality and food preferences of migrant schoolchildren. Keywords: Childhood; Food Quality; Food Preferences; Migration; Schoolchildren.