El estudio pretende generar una reflexión participativa para identificar variables mediadoras del comportamiento y del ambiente, que conduzcan a diseñar un programa, para prevenir la obesidad en la niñez, con enfoque de salud pública. Dichas variables para lograr una alimentación adecuada fueron el manejo de porciones, tipo y costo de alimentos, el horario para las colaciones y el uso del tiempo para la actividad física y su relevancia en la salud de los niños. En 51 discusiones grupales con padres de familia, profesores y niños de 17 planteles escolares se recopiló y se organizó la información, con el programa QSR NVivo 9.0. Con la guía del modelo PRECEDE-PROCEDE se identificaron factores que predisponen, refuerzan y capacitan una alimentación inadecuada y el sedentarismo en la escuela y el hogar, y se priorizaron de acuerdo con su importancia y posibilidad de cambio.Identifying predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors for adequate diet and physical activity in Sonoran schoolchildrenThe study aims to give rise to a participatory reflection in order to identify mediating variables of behavior and environment that will lead to the design of a program for preventing obesity in childhood with a public health approach. These variables intended to achieve an adequate diet included portion management, type and cost of foods, collation hours and the use of time for physical activity, as well as its relevance in children’s health. In 51 group discussions with parents, teachers and children from 17 schools, in-formation was collected and organized by using the QSR NVivo 9.0 program. Using the PRECEDE–PROCEED model as a guideline, factors that predispose, reinforce and enable an inadequate diet and physical inactivity in school and at home were identified; also, they were prioritized according to their importance and the possibility of change.

There has been substantial interest in phytoestrogens, because of their potential effect in reducing cancer and heart disease risk. Measuring concentrations of phytoestrogens in urine is an alternative method for conducting epidemiological studies. Our objective was to evaluate the urinary excretion of phytoestrogens as biomarkers for dietary phytoestrogen intake in Mexican women. Participants were 100 healthy women from 25 to 80 years of age. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24 h recall were used to estimate habitual and recent intakes of isoflavones, lignans, flavonols, coumestrol, resveratrol, naringenin, and luteolin. Urinary concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) using the electrospray ionization interface (ESI) and diode array detector (DAD) (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS). Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate associations between dietary intake and urine concentrations. The habitual consumption (FFQ) of total phytoestrogens was 37.56 mg/day. In urine, the higher compounds were naringenin (60.1 µg/L) and enterolactone (41.7 µg/L). Recent intakes (24 h recall) of isoflavones (r = 0.460, p < 0.001), lignans (r = 0.550, p < 0.0001), flavonoids (r = 0.240, p < 0.05), and total phytoestrogens (r = 0.410, p < 0.001) were correlated to their urinary levels. Total phytoestrogen intakes estimated by the FFQ showed higher correlations to urinary levels (r = 0.730, p < 0.0001). Urinary phytoestrogens may be useful as biomarkers of phytoestrogen intake, and as a tool for evaluating the relationship of intake and disease risk in Mexican women.

Mexican migrant farm workers are one of the poorest and most marginalized social groups within the country. They face the double burden of malnutrition, food insecurity, as well as harsh living and labor conditions. Objective: To examine the relationship between household food insecurity (HFI) and obesity in a population of migrant farm workers in highly modernized agribusiness areas of Northwest Mexico. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a concentric (site) (n = 146 households) and systematic selection of participants (adult men and women). Methods included questionnaires regarding socio-demographic characteristics, food security, diet (two non-consecutive 24-h recalls), and physical activity (PA). Anthropometric data included height, weight, and waist circumference. Data analysis covered descriptive statistics, multivariate linear and logistic regression. Results: Sample showed 75% prevalence of overweight and obesity, while 87% of households reported some level of HFI. Mild HFI resulted in five times more probability of farm workers’ obesity (OR = 5.18, 95% CI: 1.37–19.58). However, there was a protective effect of HFI for obesity among men (OR 0.089, 95% CI: 0.01–0.58) in a context of intense labor-related PA. Conclusion: There is a difference by gender in the relationship of HFI with obesity prevalence related perhaps to the energy expenditure of male agricultural migrant workers.

Phytoestrogens have generated interest in human health in view of their potential effect to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Serum levels of phytoestrogens have been proposed as an alternative to measure the exposure of phytoestrogens. We evaluated the use of serum as a biomarker of phytoestrogen's intake in healthy women. Phytoestrogens in serum (luteolin, kaempferol, equol, biochanin A, formononetin, quercetin, naringenin, coumestrol, secoisolariciresinol, genistein, matairesinol, enterolactone, enterodiol, daidzein, glycitein and resveratrol) were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS. Subjects were asked to recall all foods and beverages consumed the previous 24 h. Association of dietary intake and serum concentrations was performed by Spearman correlation. Correlations were found for naringenin (r = 0.47, p < 0.001), luteolin (r = 0.4 p < 0.001), genistein (r = 0.32, p < 0.01) enterolactone (r = 0.35, p = 0.0553), coumestrol (r = 0.26, p = 0.0835) and resveratrol (r = 0.29, p = 0.0517). Serum levels as biomarkers of intake along with a 24-h recall would be useful in order to investigate the relationship between phytoestrogens and health.

One of the main strengths of today's global food system is the labor force. Within emergent countries, farmworkers are an important element of competitiveness. However, food production that frequently stands in developed countries family tables rests upon the usually precarious living and health conditions of farmworkers, especially those that should migrate from regions that are far from the agribusiness where they work and live most of the year. Furthermore, healthcare becomes a challenging task because of cultural, socioeconomic and ethnic barriers. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a Community Health Worker (CHW) training model among agricultural Mexican migrant farmworkers, focusing on strengthening a health prevention environment conducive to improve health. This was a qualitative action-driven research carried out in southern Mexico communities as well as at northwest Mexico agribusiness. The project was implemented in four stages: needs assessment, curriculum design, training and implementation and process evaluation. The socioecological model guided our methodological and analytical process; we followed a Community Based Participatory Approach (CBPA) to interview and train a network of 40 CHW. Results showed that CHW's main health priorities were dehydration and heat stroke, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, work accidents, hygiene, nutrition, as well as mental health including substance abuse and depression. Training evaluation 1) improved communication between middle management and migrant farmworkers, as well as between middle management and farm administrators, 2) increased middle management consciousness about farmworkers health needs and responsibility, and 3) increased awareness about how improving the environment could help prevent diseases.