The past years have shown the widespread vulnerability of agro-food systems and rural diets to external perturbations such as wars, climate events, and pandemics. Experiencing numerous obstacles, Cuba constitutes an example of success in the transition to agroecological sustainability models. This article characterizes how processes of agricultural change, local development, and industrial degrowth have impacted food availability and dietary diversity among rural livelihoods in the municipality of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, for the past forty years (1980s–2020s). It integrates findings from focus groups, repeated nutritional surveys, and interviews carried out between 2016 and 2022 among residents of the towns of Yaguajay and La Picadora. The goal is to identify effects and response strategies within agro-food systems of rural populations. Distinguishing between periods of abundance and shortage, our findings show two counterpoints: intensive sugar monocrop cultivation, which resulted in high dietary variety; and economic crises in the 1990s and during the last period of the pandemic, which have led to significant dietary adjustments. The article concludes by underscoring the importance of comprehensive assessments of dietary strategies to elicit what agroecological transitions mean for local realities and of the value of food consumption and small-holder production experiences to understand the limits to sustainable transformations.

La crisis generada por la pandemia de COVID-19 afectó la alimentación y el estado de salud de trabajadores del sector agrícola. El objetivo de esta investigación es identificar cambios en la frecuencia de consumo de alimentos y el estado nutricional en 16 campesinos residentes en la comunidad rural La Picadora, teniendo en cuenta el impacto que la situación económica y epidemiológica pueden haber producido luego de la pandemia de COVID-19. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en los mismos 16 individuos en octubre de 2017 y abril de 2022, que incluyó entrevistas, cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos y mediciones antropométricas. Las variables discretas iniciales (2017) y las finales (2022) se compararon mediante la prueba de rangos con signos de Wilcoxon y las variables continuas se contrastaron mediante la prueba t Student. La disminución de la frecuencia del consumo de pastas, carne de cerdo, vísceras, refrescos industriales y dulces y el aumento de la frecuencia de consumo de grasa vegetal fueron estadísticamente significativas. El peso, el índice de masa corporal y la circunferencia de la cintura aumentaron, mientras que la talla disminuyó, siendo significativos los cambios observados en la circunferencia de la cintura y la talla. Concluimos que la dieta en el 2022 fue menos variada que en el 2017. Cambios en el patrón de alimentación y en los modos y estilos de vida durante la pandemia de COVID-19 constituyeron factores de riesgo para el aumento de la adiposidad abdominal en campesinos normopesos y sobrepesos. Las mediciones antropométricas demostraron su utilidad para el monitoreo del estado nutricional de poblaciones rurales agrícolas.

The past years have shown the widespread vulnerability of agro-food systems and rural diets to external perturbations such as wars, climate events, and pandemics. Experiencing numerous obstacles, Cuba constitutes an example of success in the transition to agroecological sustainability models. This article characterizes how processes of agricultural change, local development, and industrial degrowth have impacted food availability and dietary diversity among rural livelihoods in the municipality of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, for the past forty years (1980s-2020s). It integrates findings from focus groups, repeated nutritional surveys, and interviews carried out between 2016 and 2022 among residents of the towns of Yaguajay and La Picadora. The goal is to identify effects and response strategies within agro-food systems of rural populations. Distinguishing between periods of abundance and shortage, our findings show two counterpoints: intensive sugar monocrop cultivation which resulted in high dietary variety; and economic crises in 1990s and during the last period of the pandemic, which have led to significant dietary adjustments. The article concludes underscoring the importance of comprehensive assessments of dietary strategies to elicit what agroecological transitions mean for local realities and of the value of food consumption and small-holder production experiences to understand the limits to sustainable transformations.

Introduction: Studying oral pathologies allows exploring the influence of dietary habits on oral health status. Objective: To describe dental caries and wear in two populations: a pre-Hispanic and a contemporary one, with different dietary patterns. Materials and Methods: In 2022 a descriptive observational study was conducted on 27 disarticulated teeth from a pre-Hispanic population found in Vigía cave, and an oral examination was performed on 14 farmers from the rural community of La Picadora, located 3 km from the site, for a total of 292 examined teeth. Results: Dental caries was recorded in 7.4% of the teeth recovered in Vigía cave, prevailing on occlusal surfaces. Wear was identified in 96.3% of the teeth, with greater involvement of incisal and occlusal surfaces. In the farmers, 12.3% of the teeth presented caries lesions, predominantly on proximal surfaces. 50.3% showed wear, prevailing on incisal and cervical surfaces. Conclusions: In both cases, dental caries and wear were identified, differing in frequency and location. The variable response of dental tissues to different dietary patterns evidences the dynamic nature of oral conditions in the presence of diverse environments and the usefulness of odontological studies in osteobiographic and epidemiological analysis.

Social determinants, nutritional and oral status impact on the quality of life in older adults. The objective of this work is to analyze the relationships between the sociodemographic profile, nutritional status, and oral health of women aged 60 to 79 years. For this purpose, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out between April and June 2024, including 30 women living in Miramar, Havana, Cuba. Sociodemographic data were collected; anthropometric measurements were taken and an oral examination was performed. Waist-hip index and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Geriatric Oral Health Index were applied. Regularized Generalized Canonical Correlation Analysis was applied for the study of multidimensional relationships. The mean age was 69.8 years, with a predominance of retired and university graduates. The mean BMI of 29.7 kg/m² indicated overweight, with excess abdominal adiposity. With an average of 12 missing teeth, 40% perceived their oral condition as regular. In this sample of older women, anthropometric variables showed statistically significant associations. Oral variables (tooth loss and need for prostheses) and sociodemographic variables (cohabitation and household type) exhibited relevant but inconclusive patterns, suggesting plausible links between excess adiposity, tooth loss, and social environment, in line with international literature. The MNA did not adequately detect overnutrition, reinforcing the need for anthropometric indicators in geriatric assessment.

Antecedentes: La amplitud de la apertura bucal permite evaluar la función articular y muscular, constituyendo una valiosa herramienta para diagnosticar alteraciones en el sistema estomatognático. Objetivo: Caracterizar la amplitud apertura bucal de pacientes que acudieron a la consulta de trastornos temporomandibulares del Hospital Dr. Miguel Enríquez, en el período de enero 2017-enero 2020. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo observacional retrospectivo en el período de enero 2017- enero 2020, conformando un base de datos a partir de la información conseguida directamente de las historias clínicas. Se realizó la revisión y síntesis de la bibliografía y para el análisis de los datos se utilizó la estadística descriptiva mediante la distribución de frecuencia absoluta expresada en porcentajes. Resultados: La amplitud normal de la apertura bucal predominó en el 61% de los casos. Las restricciones severas de apertura bucal por debajo de 20 mm afectaron al 7% de las mujeres y al 21% de los hombres. El 23% del grupo de 30-39 años presentó limitaciones severas por debajo de los 20 mm, mientras que el 19% del grupo de 19-29 años presentó hipermovilidad. El 65% de los pacientes que acudieron antes del mes de comenzados los síntomas registraron limitación de la apertura bucal. Conclusiones: En los pacientes diagnosticados con trastornos temporomandibulares predominó la amplitud normal de la apertura bucal, por lo que la capacidad del individuo de realizar este movimiento dentro del rango establecido, no necesariamente es un indicador de ausencia de daño articular y/o muscular.