Nutrition Education for Breastfeeding Mothers in Rural Communities of Honduras

A team of researchers from Zamorano, in collaboration with the University of Buenos Aires, assessed food security and the nutritional status of the Lenca population—one of Honduras’s Indigenous groups—in the municipality of Intibucá. The study identified how different nutritional challenges coexist within the same community, an issue that, until now, has been scarcely documented among this population and in Honduras.

The results show that many Lenca people experience undernutrition and overweight or obesity at the same time, a phenomenon known as the “double burden of malnutrition.” The households evaluated also showed high levels of food insecurity. The findings demonstrate that addressing malnutrition is not only about ensuring access to more food, but also about making sure that diets are adequate and balanced in order to prevent disease.

The results provide useful evidence for designing public health policies specifically aimed at Indigenous populations, a group that is frequently underserved by national nutrition and food security programs. The research was led by Dr. Adriana Hernández-Santana, associate professor in Zamorano’s Department of Agroindustry, and published in the journal Hacia la Promoción de la Salud. Revista Hacia la Promoción de la Salud.