Trista Jones and Dr. Erin Maughan, College of Nursing
In the 1990s Argentina was considered one of the ten richest countries in the world; in 2002, Argentina underwent a severe governmental crisis that resulted in monetary inflation and high levels of unemployment (Arie, 2002). The economy has made it difficult for many to afford basic essentials like food. This political and economic instability has been considered a key component to the now prevalent problem of malnutrition in Argentine children, especially of the rural provinces. Estimates of up to two million children in the country suffer from malnutrition (Arie, 2002). Government and Humanitarian aid organizations provide some meals to children with various programs such as Comedors, which provide children in many areas with one meal a day in the hopes of decreasing the number of malnourished children. However, for many children this meal is the only meal of the day and it often does not contain enough nutrients to maintain them. Thus the problem continues to have devastating effects.
When children are not adequately nourished, there is a decrease in immunity leading to preventable deaths from infection, electrolyte imbalances cause diarrhea and subsequent dehydration which can become life threatening especially in children (Brown, 2002). Another damaging effect of malnutrition is iron deficiency anemia which causes fatigue, as well as cognitive deficits. Mercer (2003) estimates 30-60% of Argentineans suffer from iron deficiency anemia despite the availability of iron enriched foods. Growth stunting is becoming a documented problem and is specifically dangerous for pregnant women (Iglesias-Rogers, 2002). Malnutrition can produce life long damaging effects on cognitive growth and well-being.
Up to 20% of the population of Argentina is malnourished in some poverty stricken areas, and the northern province of Tucumán is considered one of the least developed and poorest areas in the country (Iglesias-Rogers, 2002). The economy is slowly rising but malnutrition remains a large concern. Currently malnutrition in Argentina is a widespread and deep impacting problem but little research has been conducted to identify the specific barriers to accessing adequate sources of nutrition. It is important to understand the specific obstacles in order to better identify the most effective intervention to stop this unnecessary suffering.
The objectives of this study were to identify the barriers to impaired nutrition and determine the level of understanding related to nutrition. This study collected data detailing the specific obstacles faced in providing adequate nutrition for children.
I approached this research in a qualitative manner. Using an interview guide, I interviewed 9 women in various parts of a semi-urban neighborhood with a lower poverty level. One the interviews were completed, I transcribed and with help from fluent Spanish speakers, I translated all 9 interviews. Once this step was complete, I reviewed the interviews and searched for themes in order to better understand what the participants felt were the actual barriers to malnutrition.
I hypothesized that the recent economic crisis that inflated monetary values and increased unemployment was the main cause of malnutrition in the children of that neighborhood. I was surprised to find that knowledge deficits were thought to be just as big of a barrier according to these participants.
I was in Tucumán, Argentina for a total of five weeks and in that time I anticipated being able to interview at least 10 women if not 15. The biggest problem I ran into was that I couldn’t start as early as I wanted to. The first step was finding participants and the next step required that I establish myself in the community for a few weeks to build a more trusting relationship. Therefore, I was only able to interview 9 women. The other problems I had were in finding fluent Spanish speakers to assist in the translation of this research. I had to adapt to a change of pace not only in interviewing the participants, but also in translating the interviews.
The research turned out wonderfully. Though there were limitations mentioned earlier, the information I was able to collect was utilized in a presentation to the humanitarian missionaries in Buenos Aires who were then able to visit the area of town that had been assessed and start to find ways to make changes for the better. The research has not yet been published but the information was useful to some degree.
Areas that need further development would be launching additional studies pertaining to malnutrition in this area and what interventions would be effective in this culture. More research should be done quantitatively in order to a more complete picture of the nutritional status and knowledge in Tucumán.
The research is in its final stage of completion only requiring minor revisions and acceptance into a journal for publication. I expect to see the article published and I also expect to see further research on this topic in order to improve or create interventions.