Conocimientos y actitudes del personal que labora en los Centros de Desarrollo Infantil de dos cantones pertenecientes al Azuay con respecto a la seguridad alimentaria pospandemia 2023-2024

Background: chronic malnutrition and food insecurity are serious problems worldwide, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 23% of Ecuadorian children suffer from chronic malnutrition. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation, as evidenced in a study conducted in Child Development Centers (CDI) in Cuenca, Ecuador, in 2018, where 71.4% of children faced food insecurity at different levels. This raises concerns about the impact on the health and development of preschool children, underscoring the need for specific measures to improve the food security of this group. Objective: To describe the knowledge and attitudes of staff working in the CDIs of the two cantons belonging to Azuay regarding post-pandemic 2023 food security. Method: to address this problem, two tools were used: focus groups and semi-structured interviews, with the objective of assessing the knowledge and attitudes of personnel on food safety in the IDCs. We worked with 5 people from each center and the data collected were analyzed using the ATLAS.ti program. The results revealed a low level of knowledge about food safety in both IDCs, with a greater lack in the Cuenca IDC. In addition, attitudes of mistrust and ignorance towards the subject were observed in both centers. The challenges identified include the lack of follow-up to existing food security policies in the two IDCs. In conclusion, a worrying lack of familiarity on the part of staff regarding food security was identified in both IDCs, attributable to a lack of specific education on the topic. This underscores the urgent need to implement training programs and strengthen policy enforcement to ensure a safe and healthy environment for the development of preschool children in these facilities.