Abstract

Author(s): Durán Agüero, Samuel1; Arboleda, Luz Marina2; Velásquez Vargas, John Edinson2; Fretes Centurión, Gabriela3; Gonzalez Cespedes, Laura Elizabeth4; Rocha, Ada5; Lima, João PM5; Nessier, María Celeste6; Raimondo, Emilia Elisabeth7; Velásquez Valderrama, Ángela María8; Gonzalez Sanchez, Juan Carlos8; Ivankovich Guillén, Sonia9; Cordón Arrivillaga, Karla Rosángel10; Gonzalez Madden, Elka Elein11; Alza, Saby Marisol Mauricio12; León Cáceres, Johanna13; Agazzi, Beatriz14; Ortiz, Alfonsina14; Cabanes, Débora15; Brasioli, Marli15; Alonso Torres, Jairo16,17

Introduction: The street food intake is a very common practice in working people. There is a great supply of street food; fruits are always part of this offer and can be found in different presentations.

Objetive: To analyze the frequency of fruit consumption in public roads in Latin America.

Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire of 15 questions in Google Docs format, which was validated by Delphi method and applied in 11 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal and Uruguay.

Results: It was surveyed 8885 people, over 50% consume food on public roads; among the most consuming countries, it is highlighted Colombia (78%) and Guatemala (76%), followed by Peru (66%). With respect to fruit consumption on public roads, it is observed that there is higher consumption in Portugal (61%), followed by Colombia (55%) and Guatemala (51%), and the countries with less consumption are Argentina (26%) and Uruguay (20%). Fruit consumption in the street is the same in both sexes in the most countries. On the other hand, in Portugal, Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica and Chile, the highest consumption correspond to people with higher education (university or post-graduate) (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Street food consumption is high in all countries, including consumption of fruits. This can be transformed into an opportunity to encourage their consumption, but street posts must be adjusted to the necessary requirements to offer safe food.