The University of Oviedo, the Institute for Dairy Products (IPLA) of the CSIC, the CAUCE Foundation and the Alimerka have elaborated a study on the nutritional habits of social groups with socioeconomic problems in Asturias. The research work "Food and health in people affected by material deprivation", has been led by professor of Functional Biology Sonia González Solares, in collaboration with the research group of the IPLA-CSIC, and their results will allow laying the foundations for future actions aimed at the improvement of the eating habits of these social groups.

 

The lack of resources may hinder access to basic food items like milk, fruit or fish. This is one of the main conclusions resulting from the study promoted by Alimerka Foundation in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Cauce Foundation and the University of Oviedo. This research work has been developed on a sample of 37 people, 19 men and 18 women, aged between 19 and 56, in order to evaluate the nutrition habits of the most disadvantaged groups. 

 

Scientists from the University of Oviedo have compared the consumption of the main food items and they have found out that the most disadvantaged people get less basic products in a healthy diet. The results suggest that the high cost, which sometimes these products have in the stores, could imply limited access for people with economic difficulties.

 

This work shows that the most disadvantaged groups are most likely to suffer chronic diseases. 88% of this people also suffer from overweight or obesity. According to researchers, these results "show the importance of conducting a nutritional intervention".

 

The data obtained in this study was compared to that from a control group consisting of 35 people of a medium-high socio-economic status, with the same age and same gender distribution. Around 60% of the subjects from the first group stated they were unemployed at the time of the first interview.