Introduction:

Health is socially influenced, its determinants are those “circumstances in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, including the broader set of forces and systems that influence the conditions of daily life”.

Objective:

to characterize the social determinants of the food and nutritional situation in the State of Anzoátegui.

Materials and methods:

primary and secondary sources published between 2015 and 2023 were reviewed.

Results:

food availability and consumption are compromised. Food is neither nutritious, nor varied, nor sufficient, it is poor in calories, proteins and micronutrients, gaps are exacerbated depending on the socioeconomic and geographic gradient, age and sex. Food expenditure exceeds 60%, insufficient for the purchase of food, food insecurity is more pronounced in children under 5 years, lactating women and older adults, where the highest figures of malnutrition were also found, reflecting the negative effects of the complex humanitarian emergency. It is one of the most violent states in the national territory. Deficiencies in basic services and in the health and education sectors increase the population’s vulnerability, its elders are aging and its children are dropping out of school or migrating. The scarce information on the indigenous population shows that this group is being left behind. Between 10% and 30% of the population has severe needs that merit priority attention.

Conclusion:

overcoming food, nutritional and social problems requires breaking the vicious circle of infection - malnutrition and official, timely and accurate information for the formulation of public policies.