Eating habits during their working day in a group of fruit and vegetable vendors in an urban center in Chile

Abstract

Introduction: free fairs are environments dedicated to the commercialization of fresh products in a public space, their workers being a group of people characterized by working long hours and with irregular breaks, thus affecting their eating habits. Objective: to know the eating habits during their working day in a group of fruit and vegetable vendors in the downtown sector of the city of Chillán. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional design. A sample of 87 stallholders was studied, obtained with the non-probabilistic method for convenience. A background questionnaire and a quantified consumption frequency survey were applied. R package, version 4.1.2 was applied. Results: most of the participants did not meet the recommendations for bread-cereals and meats (excess consumption) and fruits-vegetables and dairy products (insufficient consumption), according to the recommendations of the dietary guide for the Chilean population. Excessive consumption of fast food, sugary drinks, sugary juices and alcohol was also observed. Conclusion: the eating habits of the stallholders and the lifestyle presented in this sample can trigger various pathophysiological complications in the medium and long term