Revisión teórica y limitaciones del concepto de desiertos alimentarios

This article is an early approach to the concept of food desert created by geographic inequalities regarding the presence of grocery stores in different countries. First, it exposes the theory of food deserts linking the lack of retail outlets to social class and nutritional problems arising from poor food supply. Later, the paper focuses on the investigations have answered this relationship because they believe that there are more factors that also determine how the population access to healthy food. Finally, the methodology used in both ways of research about food access. It concludes by noting the complexity of the theoretical concept when being applied. Resumen: Este artículo es una primera introducción al concepto de desierto alimentario que surge a raíz de las desigualdades territoriales en torno a la presencia de comercios de alimentación en diferentes países. En primer lugar, se exponen las tesis de los desiertos alimentarios que vinculan el desabastecimiento de establecimientos comerciales a la clase social y los problemas nutricionales derivados de una escasa oferta alimentaria. A continuación, se exponen los trabajos que han contestado esta relación debido a la consideración de que existen otros factores determinantes en el acceso de la población a la alimentación saludable. Para terminar, se expone la metodología utilizada en ambas formas de investigar el acceso a la alimentación y se concluye señalando la complejidad que este concepto teórico tiene a la hora de ser aplicado sobre el terreno.Abstract: This article is an early approach to the concept of food desert created by geographic inequalities regarding the presence of grocery stores in different countries. First, it exposes the theory of food deserts linking the lack of retail outlets to social class and nutritional problems arising from poor food supply. Later, the paper focuses on the investigations have answered this relationship because they believe that there are more factors that also determine how the population access to healthy food. Finally, the methodology used in both ways of research about food access. It concludes by noting the complexity of the theoretical concept when being applied

Huertos universitarios : dimensiones de aprendizaje percibidas por los futuros maestros

En la formación inicial de maestros se están utilizando huertos como recurso para la enseñanza de las ciencias, con foco en el desarrollo de competencias del alumnado, y se hace necesario explicitar su incidencia en los aprendizajes del alumnado. El objetivo de este trabajo es desentrañar las dimensiones de aprendizaje que perciben los futuros maestros cuando son enseñados mediante huertos. Para ello, se empleó una metodología cualitativa basada en el análisis de los diarios individuales y semiestructurados que realizaron estudiantes del Grado en Educación Infantil en la asignatura de Ciencias Naturales. Se evidencia una incidencia positiva sobre diferentes áreas de conocimiento cognitivo y procedimental, aspectos emocionales y relacionales, así como sobre aspectos transversales como medio ambiente, agricultura y alimentación. El huerto aparece como un valioso recurso educativo.Gardens are being used as a didactic resource for science teaching at initial teacher training to facilitate students' competencies development, and so it is necessary to make their influence on learning explicit. The aim of this work is to unveil the learning dimensions that are perceived by future teachers when gardens are used as a didactic tool. To that purpose, we used qualitative methodology based on the analyses of individual and semi-structured diaries that were completed by the degree students of Preschool Teacher Training, more specifically, in the subject of natural sciences. Positive impacts were proved on different areas of cognitive and procedural knowledge, emotional and relational aspects, as well as on transversal aspects such as environment, agriculture and nutrition. Gardens appear to be valuable instructional resources

Perceptions and learnings in a school garden in Primary Education

Los huertos educativos son una herramienta y un contexto didáctico muy versátil y de gran potencial para diferentes propósitos educativos, como la enseñanza de las ciencias, la mejora de los hábitos alimentarios, o la formación de una ciudadanía sostenible, especialmente en sus dimensiones alimentaria y ambiental. Este trabajo investiga el impacto de un programa de Educación Ambiental realizado en huertos educativos con estudiantes de 5º curso de Educación Primaria de tres colegios de Valladolid. Para ello, se realizaron grupos focales de diez alumnos por colegio, antes y después del programa educativo. Las grabaciones de dichos grupos focales fueron transcritas y analizadas mediante el software MAXQDA para desarrollar un sistema de categorías y subcategorías, con el objetivo de detectar los cambios en el discurso de los estudiantes. Los estudiantes valoraron el tiempo de trabajo en el huerto positivamente como tiempo de aprendizaje, no obstante, algunos no lo percibieron como tiempo de clase. Aunque los estudiantes ya tenían un discurso elaborado sobre la relación entre alimentación y salud, se muestra que reforzaron y ampliaron sus conocimientos previos. Sin embargo, no desarrollaron conciencia sobre los impactos ambientales relacionados con la producción de alimentos. Los resultados muestran la importancia de los huertos educativos para la formación de una ciudadanía sostenible, pero también la importancia del diseño de los programas educativos.Educational gardens constitute a very versatile educational tool and context with great potential for different educational purposes, such as science teaching, improving eating habits, or the development of a sustainable citizenship, especially in its foodand environmental dimensions. This work investigates the impact of an environmental education program carried out in educational gardens with students in the 5th year of Primary Education from three schools in Valladolid (Spain). With this purpose, focus groups of ten students per school were held, before and after the educational program. The recordings of these focus groups were transcribed and analysedusing the MAXQDA software. A system of categories and subcategories was developed, with the objective of detecting changes in the discourse of the students. The students valued the work time in the garden positively as learning time, although some did not perceive it as class time. Although the students already had an elaborate discourse on the feeding relationship, they reinforced and expanded their previous knowledge. However, they did not develop awareness of the environmental impacts related to food production. The results show the importance of educational gardens for the development of a sustainable citizenship, but also the importance of the design of educational programs

Knowledge, attitude, and patient advice on sustainable diets among Spanish health professionals

Current dietary patterns, especially in high-income countries, are unsustainable. Health professionals, due to their credibility and close contact with the general population, could serve as agents of change for the adoption of sustainable diets. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding sustainable diets among the health professionals in Spain. A 24-item online questionnaire was designed for this purpose, and sent to health professionals (i.e., dietitians-nutritionists, nurses, physicians, and pharmacists). From September 2021 to May 2022, 2,545 health professionals answered the survey completely. One-fifth of them had never heard the term “sustainable diet”, and most of them recognized having limited knowledge about it. They considered promoting sustainable diets when making dietary recommendations important, and pointed out that they would like to be trained on the topic. Indeed, they reported that all health professionals, independent of their career background, should be educated on sustainable diets. Efforts should be stressed on implementing training courses, at university level but also as continuous post-graduate training, providing health professionals in Spain the necessary knowledge to promote the adoption of sustainable diets among the population

Knowledge, attitude, and patient advice on sustainable diets among Spanish health professionals

Current dietary patterns, especially in high-income countries, are unsustainable. Health professionals, due to their credibility and close contact with the general population, could serve as agents of change for the adoption of sustainable diets. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding sustainable diets among the health professionals in Spain. A 24-item online questionnaire was designed for this purpose, and sent to health professionals (i.e., dietitians-nutritionists, nurses, physicians, and pharmacists). From September 2021 to May 2022, 2,545 health professionals answered the survey completely. One-fifth of them had never heard the term “sustainable diet”, and most of them recognized having limited knowledge about it. They considered promoting sustainable diets when making dietary recommendations important, and pointed out that they would like to be trained on the topic. Indeed, they reported that all health professionals, independent of their career background, should be educated on sustainable diets. Efforts should be stressed on implementing training courses, at university level but also as continuous post-graduate training, providing health professionals in Spain the necessary knowledge to promote the adoption of sustainable diets among the population

El acceso a la alimentación: el debate sobre los desiertos alimentarios

La influencia de la alimentación sobre la salud de los ciudadanos ha llevado a considerar la disponibilidad de comercios de alimentación como un factor determinante de los hábitos de consumo alimentario y a denominar las zonas desabastecidas de comercios como "desiertos alimentarios". El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer una revisión de la literatura científica internacional sobre el concepto de desierto alimentario. Para ello, se expone qué son los desiertos alimentarios y se da cuenta de los estudios que los han delimitado empíricamente. A continuación, se analizan las respuestas críticas a su uso como indicador para medir el acceso a la alimentación, así como las propuestas para distinguirlo del acceso alimentario. El artículo se cierra señalando la escasa utilidad de desierto alimentario, especialmente aplicado a los contextos urbanos, por lo que se explora su potencial explicativo en el ámbito rural, donde su aplicación y análisis pueden estar más justificados