Food security remains a critical challenge for older adults in rural Indigenous communities, particularly among the Mapuche people. This study presents an analysis of public policies that address the food security of Mapuche older adults in rural Chile. Using an interpretative qualitative approach, we explore the alignment between government programs and the lived experiences of this population. Findings indicate that existing policies lack cultural pertinence, focusing primarily on market-driven agricultural production rather than self-sufficiency and traditional food systems. Participants highlight the loss of community farming practices, environmental degradation, and the imposition of external production models as key factors exacerbating food insecurity. In addition, health and education policies do not integrate Indigenous knowledge and food habits, which further limits their effectiveness. This study highlights the need for culturally inclusive public policies that support local food sovereignty, sustainable agricultural practices, and the empowerment of Indigenous communities.

Background: The increase in population longevity often occurs in contexts of inequity and relative poverty, accompanied by economic deterioration. This becomes a social determinant that has a direct impact on food security. This phenomenon particularly affects certain groups and territories, although there is still a lack of disaggregated references. Intersections between factors such as being a rural inhabitant, Indigenous, woman, or elderly person are observed in relation to food security, which forces us to pay greater attention to gaps that have remained invisible for years. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the main factors that affect the food security of Mapuche men and women over 60 years of age living in the rural area of Temuco, Chile. Method: Qualitative, descriptive, and interpretative research was carried out, observing the process from the interpretative symbolic paradigm and the complexity approach. Results: The data are made up of the discourses of these subjects, whose analysis allowed for the identification of results. These results show that producing their own food enables rural Mapuche elders to achieve food security. The cultural food heritage preserved by Mapuche elders, especially women, acts as a facilitating factor, as do community spaces that reinforce their culture. Among the obstacles to food security are migration to the city for work, pathological aging, and the limited production of culturally healthy foods (affected by environmental problems, cultural changes, the destabilization of group identity, and public policies that are incongruent with the territorial worldview). Conclusions: While rural Mapuche elders retain valuable practices for their food security, inadequate policies, migration and environmental degradation present significant challenges.

Research is still needed to better understand parental decisions regarding the introduction of specific foods during complementary feeding, particularly in Latin America. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to contribute to fill this research gap by: i) estimating the age at which healthy and unhealthy foods are introduced in Uruguay, and ii) exploring factors influencing parental decisions related to the introduction of healthy and unhealthy foods. An online survey with 450 parents of children aged between 6 and 36 months was conducted. Participants were shown images of natural foods and ultra-processed products and were asked a series of questions about their decisions regarding the introduction of these foods during complementary feeding. A series of open-ended questions were asked to identify the motives underlying their decisions. Most participants had introduced the evaluated natural foods early in the complementary feeding process. However, delayed introductions, particularly for strawberries, leafy greens, and fish were reported. Although most participants had delayed the introduction of ultra-processed products, they anticipated gradually incorporating these products into their children’s diets. A diverse range of factors that influence parental decisions regarding the introduction of foods during complementary feeding were identified, which were categorized into those related to the child, the child’s social environment, and the broader societal and cultural context. These results highlight the need for comprehensive public policies to promote healthy complementary feeding practices in Uruguay.

A comprehensive understanding of women lived experiences is crucial for developing effective strategies to support breastfeeding at both individual and systemic levels. In this context, this study aimed to explore the social representations of breastfeeding among Uruguayan mothers and grandmothers through a structural approach. A total of 154 women, 77 mothers and 77 grandmothers, biologically related, were recruited from eight public health centers in Montevideo, Uruguay, between June and August 2022. Participants completed a free word association task using the stimuli "breastfeeding" and "exclusive breastfeeding." Interviews were conducted by trained researchers via telephone, and participants were asked to provide 3-5 associations per term. Responses were analyzed using structural analysis with openEvoc software to identify core and peripheral elements of the social representations. "Love" emerged as the central element in the social representations of both breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for mothers and grandmothers, highlighting the emotional and symbolic importance of breastfeeding across generations. Among mothers, representations were emotionally rich and experientially grounded, with frequent references to "baby," "affection," "attachment," and health-related benefits. Mothers also acknowledged challenges such as "pain" and "tiredness." In contrast, grandmothers' representations were more heterogeneous and less detailed, especially for exclusive breastfeeding, which lacked a clear structure. Grandmothers frequently used normative or moral terms such as "correct," "essential," and "nutrition," and showed limited familiarity with exclusive breastfeeding as a defined concept. Health-related benefits were present in peripheral areas for both groups, while references to the mother's well-being were largely absent. The findings highlight intergenerational continuity in the emotional anchoring of breastfeeding but reveal differences in knowledge and cognitive engagement, particularly concerning exclusive breastfeeding. While mothers integrate biomedical and experiential dimensions, grandmothers rely more on traditional values. These results underscore the need for generationally tailored communication strategies that acknowledge emotional and practical experiences and actively involve grandmothers in breastfeeding promotion efforts to strengthen intergenerational support for optimal breastfeeding practices.