Categorization of Food Consumption Patterns in Indigenous Communities of the Quilotoa in Ecuador

Preliminary evidence suggests that rural areas have poor nutritional indicators despite their self-sufficient local production. Thus, this study aimed to categorize the food consumption patterns of the rural Indigenous population next to the Quilotoa Lagoon in Ecuador based on the frequency of food intake. Data were obtained from 258 Indigenous farmers using structured and validated consumption frequency questionnaires. The consumption of 91 foods classified into eight groups was evaluated using concordance indicators, correlation analysis, and multivariate techniques such as principal component analysis and correspondence factor analysis. Consumption levels were categorized by stratifying the proportion of families that consumed each food item. Four consumption pattern types were identified. The category with "high consumption" foods, greater than 66.8%, was based on foods rich in carbohydrates, such as rice (89.3%), potatoes (88.9%), oats (74.1%), and <i>morocho</i> (74%). Protein intake was limited to eggs (82%) and fish (73.5%). Vegetables, such as carrots (90.4%) and onions (96.1%), were highly consumed but classified as condiments in meal preparation. Chicken (66.5%) and milk (61%) were categorized as "moderate consumption." Local foods such as <i>melloco</i> (37.1%) and oca (28.2%) were classified as "low consumption". Lastly, the most produced local food, chocho, had a consumption rate of 14.3%, which was considered "very low consumption". When analyzing consumption patterns by area, the Chugchilan parish with High Center or Quilotoa-Paved Road zones showed very good concordance (0.81 and 0.79, respectively), while the Subtropical zone had less concordance (0.73). Foods rich in high-calorie carbohydrates were the most commonly consumed across all four consumption patterns.