Abstract
Until recently, food insecurity was thought of as an eminently rural problem; however, it is now recognized that in many cities the cost of a healthy diet exceeds the average food expenditure of low- and middle-income households, affecting the food security of growing population groups. This paper is interested in the conditions of food insecurity in Mexico City, paying particular attention to the youth population, a group little explored so far that faces growing food problems that risk compromising their health in the medium and long term. The development of the research incorporates several sources, including: documentary review, descriptive analysis of existing statistics and a qualitative exploratory work carried out in middle and high schools in low-income areas. Within this framework, semi-structured interviews and collective discussion exercises were carried out to document the perception of needs and possibilities for change among young people. Among the results of the study, malnutrition stands out as the main manifestation of food precariousness in environments with high availability of ultra-processed products, the links between poverty and time as a major factor in daily food decisions, as well as the interest of some of them to improve their eating patterns through individual and collective strategies, including in certain occasions the organization of collective actions to demand better food conditions in schools.
Presenters
Ayari PasquierResearcher -professor , Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Humanities, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Distrito Federal, Mexico Magdalena Morales Brizard
Student, Master's degree, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Food insecurity, Urban food systems, Youth, Mexico City
