Double burden of child malnutrition in rural Mexican territories: the case of school communities in the Poniente-Calpulalpan region, Tlaxcala

Abstract

Globally, the last three decades have witnessed a speedy transformation in the agrifood sector, generating a complex malnutrition problem. This is due to the persistence of several ways of undernutrition, coupled with a fast increase in overweight and obesity among both adults and children. In Mexico, this situation constitutes a serious public health problem, which also affects the country’s socioeconomic development. This study aims to analyze the problem of childhood malnutrition in a rural area of Mexico in the state of Tlaxcala through Participatory Action Research (PAR), with the goal of contributing practical experience to counteracting the effects of malnutrition for the benefit of the studied rural school communities. The research found a double burden of childhood malnutrition as a multifactorial problem requiring a comprehensive approach. Therefore, to counteract this phenomenon among schoolchildren, agrifood strategies and actions were developed, and guidelines for redesigning public policies in this area were identified. Finally, the need for further research is evident to determine the weight of the factors generating the problem and, based on this, to design more accurate strategies and guidelines; at the same time, to go on driving social change aimed at improving the well-being of the participating communities.