Satisfaction with life and with food-related life in central Chile/ Satisfacción con la vida y la alimentación en la zona central de Chile

• Published in: Psicothema Vol. 26; no. 2
• Main Authors: Morales, Berta Schnettler, Coria, Marianela Denegri, Vargas, Horacio Miranda, Maldonado, Jose Sepulveda, Gonzalez, Marcos Mora, Andrade, German Lobos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colegio Oficial De Psicologos Del Principado De Asturias 01.04.2014
• Subjects: Chile
• DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2013.13
• ISSN: 0214-9915

Background: Eating is one of the most frequent human behaviors, but there are few studies that relate eating and subjective well-being. Typologies of people were distinguished and characterized according to their level of satisfaction with life and food in central Chile. Method: A survey was applied to a sample of 1,277 people in the main municipalities of this area, distributed proportionally by municipality. The questionnaire included :he SWLS scales (Satisfaction with Life Scale), SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life), Health-Related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and respondents' demographic characteristics and eating habits were also ascertained. Results: Using hierarchical cluster analysis, three typologies were distinguished with significant differences in the scores on the SWLS, SWFL, SHS, self-perception of health, days with physical or mental problems in the last month, sociodemographic characteristics and frequency with which the family eats together. Conclusions: The results suggest that a higher level of general subjective well-being, and eating is associated with better health, greater family interaction around meals, higher levels of happiness, and with some sociodemographic characteristics. Keywords: Family meals, domains of life, life satisfaction, typologies. Antecedentes: la alimentacion es uno de los comportamientos humanos mas frecuentes, pero aun son escasos los estudios que relacionan la alimentacion y el bienestar subjetivo. Se distinguieron y caracterizaron tipologias segun su nivel de satisfaccion con la vida y con la alimentacion en la zona central de Chile. Metodo: se aplico una encuesta a una muestra de 1.277 personas de las principales comunas de esta zona, distribuidas proporcionalmente por comuna. El cuestionario incluyo las escalas SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life), el indice de calidad de vida relativo a la salud (ICVRS), la escala de felicidad subjetiva (SHS) y, se consultaron caracteristicas demograficas y habitos alimentarios de los encuestados. Resultados: mediante analisis de conglomerados jerarquicos se distinguieron tres tipologias con diferencias significativas en los puntajes de la SWLS, SWFL, SHS, auto percepcion de la salud, dias con problemas fisicos o mentales en el ultimo mes, caracteristicas sociodemograficas y en la frecuencia de comidas junto a la familia. Conclusiones: los resultados sugieren que un mayor nivel de bienestar subjetivo general y con la alimentacion se asocia con una mejor salud, superior interaccion familiar en torno a la comida, mayor nivel de felicidad y con algunas caracteristicas sociodemograficas. Palabras clave: comidas en familia, dominios de la vida, satisfaccion vital, tipologias.