Objective: To interpret the perception of the motivational factors presented by students who decide to pursue a career in healthcare in the Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, Chile during 2015. Material and Methods: Through a qualitative design and using a phenomenological approach, a semi-structured interview was applied to 55 new students. They were all pursuing a degree in the fields of Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physical Therapy or Medical Technology of the School of Medicine at Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile, in 2015. The results were subject to triangulation of informants, and were analyzed using the technique of discourse analysis. Results: Vocation for public service, the career field once graduated or the experience of personal /familiar experiences when facing a health condition are perceived a...

Objective: To interpret the perception of the determining factors that influence the diet of a group of intern patients in a drug rehabilitation center in Concepción, Chile, during the year 2015. Materials and methods: Through a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, intern patients of a drug rehabilitation facility, who fulfilled the study assigned criteria, were interviewed. The collection of data was conducted through semi structured interviews; which were validated by experts and subject to a pilot test. Nonprobability convenience sampling was performed. The sample size was determined through theoretical saturation, which was completed at the eighth interview. The results were subject to triangulation of informants, and were analyzed using the technique of discourse analysis. Results: The participants identify positive and negative factors that condition their diet. Th...

Objective: To interpret the perception of influences on the diet of elderly people from the Lan-C sector of Hualpén commune, Chile, during the year 2016. Materials and methods: In order to accomplish the objective, researchers used a qualitative design with an interpretative phenomenological approach. The qualitative sampling was performed by the snowball method. The sample size was not determined a priori, but through theoretical saturation; that is, when interviews did not provide new data to the research, which happened in the fifth interview. Subjects included in the study fulfilled the screening criteria, such as being over 60 years old, not having cognitive damage that prevented a fluent conversation, not being diagnosed with any form of dementia, living in the Lan-C sector of Hualpén commune, and signing an informed consent of the research with which ethical aspects of the study...

The exponential growth of the elderly population nowadays demands to take a closer look at the diet and eating behavior of this age group, as a way of improving their health and quality of life, which is influenced, among other factors, by their place of residence. This article delves into the diet of older adults according to their place of residence: long-term nursing homes or other type of residential facility. The eating behavior of institutionalized elderly people is featured by eating at least three scheduled meals with menus showing inappropriate nutritional benefits, which do not adequately cover the nutritional requirements of the aged user and, along with other factors, favor malnutrition caused by dietary deficiency. Non-institutionalized people also tend to eat three scheduled meals with inadequate food quality. It can be considered that elderly people’s diet, regardless of...

Objective: To relate family functionality to autonomy and psychosocial welfare of elderly people living in the Huechuraba commune in Santiago, Chile, during the year 2016. Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study with a purposive sample of 60 elderly volunteers who fulfilled the screening criteria. For data collection, the Family APGAR test, WHOQOL-BREF scale and Functional Assessment of the Elderly (EFAM) were used. For the analysis of the results, descriptive statistics and association tests such as chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: Over 70 % of the participants had very functional families and only 3 % belonged to severely dysfunctional families. Forty-five percent (45 %) of the participants were autonomous but at risk of being dependent and 16.7 % were at risk of being dependent. No relationship between family functionality and p...

The necessity for taking actions that strengthen activities intended for health promotion and disease prevention has allowed the rediscovery of traditional dishes as an option for healthy diet. Traditional dishes not only gather dietary and nutritional aspects, but also social and cultural elements associated with a culinary dish, all of which enrich and give identity to people, families and communities. This review theorizes and reflects on the relationship between traditional dishes and healthy diet based on one of the most well-known dietary patterns worldwide: the Mediterranean diet. This feeding regime allows the rendezvous between healthy food and culinary preparations, promotes a lifestyle that prevents the onset of chronic diseases, and has a sociocultural connotation based on its designation as culinary heritage of humanity, which gives identity to the Mediterranean nations. Thi...

Mr. Editor, adolescence facilitates the autonomy and independence of eating behavior, with an increase in the selection and intake of foods with high energy density (1), which favors the presence of excess malnutrition (2), in addition to increase the risk of various cardiometabolic complications (3,4).