Browsing by Subject "Ecuador"
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Item The Effectiveness and Cultural Practicality of Ceramic Water Filters in the Kiwcha Community of Ecuador(2014-02-04) Pham, Diana; Duchicela, Jorge; Navarrete, Maritza YanezINTRODUCTION: Does the ceramic water filters reduce the number of people with water borne parasites, reduce the incidence of diarrhea and improve water drinking habits compared to a community without water filters? Qualitative Data- I went to two different communities, Pukara Quinche (with water filters) and Huashig (without water filters) and collected their fecal samples to analyze any presence of parasites. I compared each community to see if the percentage of people with one or more parasites in their feces was less in Pukara Quinche than Hua Shig. I also compared whether the water filters have maintained its effectiveness since its implementation in 2011 by comparing previous years' data. Quantitative Data: For 2013, I interviewed the two communities about their opinions of the water filters (but if they have no water filters, how they clean their water), the frequency of using water filters, their drinking water practices and any abdominal-related illnesses in the past year. There are several important variables that I failed to take into account. RESULTS: In general, the results show that water filters have a positive impact on creating awareness for clean water, but more should be done to improve overall hygienic habits as well as maintain the sustainability of the use of water filters. Although the results show that the effects of water filters is culturally specific for the Kichwa community, the issue of sustainability and improvement in overall hygienic habits (in addition to the implementation of water filters) can be universally applied to many other low-income and low health literacy people with no access to clean water because it is easy to use and easy to store. While the water filters were shown to lower the incidence of health problems, however, it seemed to not significantly reduce the overall percentage of people with parasites. This discrepancy further shows that while the water filters provide a good temporary point of source clean water, but it should not be a permanent solution on delivering accessible clean water to the entire communities. It neglects the fact that the government will have less incentive to improve the water system to the poor community, if they feel the water filters is sufficient enough to deliver free water.Item Nutritional Study of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador(2015-01-26) Patel, Shalvi; Zuluaga,MariaBACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: A problem seen in many underdeveloped towns is a lack of nutritional knowledge. This contributes to the improper growth & development of children, as well as prevalence of preventable chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of nutritional education in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador & see how it correlated with local child growth and general prevalence of disease. METHODS: In the first study for child growth, data was collected by visiting various day cares where name, exact age, gender, height & weight were measured, as well as by going through files of those under the age of 18 in the clinic's records in order to obtain data points. Collectively, the data was plotted on CDC growth charts. The second study involved of a week of going door to door in an assigned sector of town (77 families, 130 inhabitants) with a nutritional knowledge survey, & collecting data from children to apply to the first study. The results of the survey were quantified & organized into a presentation and handout in Spanish. Announcements for the presentations were broadcasted over the local radio, resulting in good attendance. RESULTS: Based on the survey results, it was found that only 55% of the sector boiled their water correctly. When asked what foods contained protein, 69% gave a correct response, 16% did not know & 15% gave a wrong answer. For carbohydrates, less than 20% gave a correct response, 52% did not know & the rest gave wrong answers. For sugar, 80% were able to answer correctly & 20% did not know. For iron, 39% did not know what foods contained iron. For vitamin A, 9% gave a correct response, 50% did not know & the rest named wrong foods. For calcium, 24% responded correctly, 42% did not know, & the rest gave wrong answers. When looking at meal portions, it was found that most families served more than 50% carbohydrates & very little vegetables and protein. As for the growth chart for children, a stunted growth trend was seen compared to those children in urban areas. Out of 250 girls under the age of 18, 58% were under the 10th percentile for height & 26% under the 10th percentile for weight. For 143 males, 64% were under the 10th percentile for height & 33% under the 10th percentile for weight. Based on the survey of known chronic illnesses, 10.6% had diabetes, 15% had HTN, & 16.6% had cholesterol, although local doctors claimed that these rates were much higher due to poor diet. CONCLUSION: Based on the outcome of the growth chart analysis & nutritional survey, a correlation between poor nutrition choices and stunted growth & disease prevalence could be seen. Therefore, proper nutritional education plays an important role in lifelong health.