**4.2. Eating habits**

Regarding the eating habits and types of food the interviewees consumed, this study found these aspects also had the influence of globalization.

At the urban area, 6% of interviewees at 19% in rural communities reported that their children and grandchildren had exchanged fish and açaí for other foods. This did not happen with the

Globalization and Health in a Small Town in the Amazon Region

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79431

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The North region of Brazil has a history of low health indicators. Health has to be seen today as a global issue, and healthcare globalization is a positive aspect that should be developed in a clear and well-planned manner [34]. At the current stage of globalization, the policies that promote health [28] have not brought considerable improvements for the population of Marajó Island, especially low-income population. Globalization is consistently consolidated as it pulls down the relationship between territory and its natural products and the community. Then, characteristics of the urban way of life, such as diseases, also appear in rural areas, resulting from the consumption of industrialized and globalized products, pressure for increased productivity on workers, and the appeal to the consumption of goods and

The dynamics of small cities show limited development due to several factors, such as low educational level, scarce resources, difficult communication and transportation, and lack of

This research used the questionnaires applied to residents to identify health problems. One can observe that their perceptions on their health problems are more focused on new health

The interviewees did not frequently report diseases, such as diarrhea and malaria, often cited in studies analyzing these riverside environments and registered in official data. Infant mortality in the municipality is very high, 30.2 per 10,000 newborn, placing it in the 4199 place among 5570 Brazilian municipalities. Also, there were a tax of 9.2/1000 hospital admissions due to diarrhea, in 2014 [1]. The Information System on Social Indicators of the State of Pará reported 924 hospital admissions in 2010, in Ponta de Pedras, of those 199 (18.3%) were due to infectious and parasitic diseases. These represent the second cause of internment after baby

In the interviews, 17% of people from the urban area and 21% from the rural area reported physician diagnosis of hypertension. High cholesterol levels were reported by 8% of urban interviewees and 7% of rural; and diabetes was reported by 6% of urban interviewees and 4% of rural ones. In fact, Information System from Ministry of Health indicates a large increase in the number of hospital admissions due to diabetes mellitus in Ponta de Pedras, in the last 10 years. There was 1 admission in 2009 due to this disease, 2 admissions in 2011, 5 in 2012,

During data collection, some interviewees complained about the lack of physician and medicines for the treatment of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels, especially in the rural area, where the access to health services is more difficult. They reported

elderly, because these are traditional staple foods of local population.

**4.3. Health and globalization in a small town in the Amazon**

sanitation infrastructure, which affect health conditions.

6 in 2013, 15 in 2014, 22 in 2015, 25 in 2016, and 25 in 2017.

deliveries (231 hospital admissions).

issues than on diseases that historically are part of their everyday life.

merchandise.

Changes in the eating habits of the population in Amazon are associated with strong marketing strategies that large international food companies develop in the region to attract new consumers. In this study, despite the low percentage of interviewees who reported changes in their eating habits, the introduction of processed and ultraprocessed products in their diet was observed, especially among the young population, who consumes a higher variety of processed foods [32]. In addition, the heads of families have the perception that the processed food consumed by young people is not good for health and mentioned their worry about increased number of diabetic and hypertensive people in the municipality. This perception is reinforced by official data about diabetes and hypertension [33]: there were 3 cases of diabetes and 43 cases of hypertension in 2007 at the municipality of Ponta de Pedras. In 2011, 16 cases of diabetes and 285 cases of hypertension were reported, demonstrating the increase.

Industrialized food products are sold in stores and represent a food transition, which has affected the health standards of the population. Answers on eating habits of the families indicated the consumption of chicken, pork, beef, and sausage, despite the population's preference for fish and flour. The weekly consumption frequency of the inhabitants is as follows: sausage in the rural area, 25 and 15% in the urban area and chicken once a week, 31% of rural residents and 38% of urban residents.

**Table 1** shows the processed foods purchased every month, in proportion to the number of urban and rural interviewees. Some foods, which are not part of the traditional Amazon diet or manufactured with local products, are bought by a high number of families. The lack of a refrigerator could explain the purchase of canned goods and noodles, but yogurt bought by more than half the rural families, and 66% of urban families, weakens this argument.


**Table 1.** Processed and industrialized foods bought monthly by the population.

At the urban area, 6% of interviewees at 19% in rural communities reported that their children and grandchildren had exchanged fish and açaí for other foods. This did not happen with the elderly, because these are traditional staple foods of local population.
