Public Health Nutrition: 3(1), 49–55 49 Nutrition policy in the Chilean transition Fernando Vio * and Cecilia Albala Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Casilla 138–11, Santiago, Chile Submitted 9 July 1998: Accepted 22 July 1999 Abstract Objective: This paper examines socioeconomic, demographic, epidemiological and nutrition changes that have occurred in Chile in the last decades using concepts of epidemiological and nutrition transition, and discusses policies related to nutrition. Design and setting: This is a descriptive, population-based study to analyse changes in the Chilean diet and nutrition situation including some of the main demographic, socioeconomic and epidemiological variables. Data came from the FAO, the National Institute of Statistics, the Ministry of Health and national surveys. Results and policy implications: In Chile, the epidemiological and nutrition situation shifted from a pretransition stage with high rates of undernutrition to a post-transition stage with increasing rates of obesity in all groups aged less than 20 years. However, changes were not accompanied by modifications in nutrition policy, which had been successful in reducing undernutrition. Despite changes in diet to a ‘western’ diet and in nutritional status of the population from undernutrition to obesity, food and nutrition programmes have been maintained unaltered. Governmental and university organizations were created in 1994 and 1995 to address the current food and nutrition problems. The accomplishments of these institutions have been the elaboration of dietary guidelines, reformulating the food and nutrition programmes and the promulgation of the Food Sanitary Regulations for Chile. Conclusions: Education for the prevention of nutrition excess problems should be a main food and nutrition policy in developing countries. Keywords Nutrition transition Nutrition policy Obesity Rapid changes have occurred in Latin American countries in the last decades. Demographic transition as well as socioeconomic changes have been extremely important in most of the countries, in particular Chile. In the 1960s, its biomedical indicators were average amongst Latin American countries, with high infant and maternal mortality rates, high prevalence of infectious diseases and undernutrition. In the 1990s, the Chilean situation shifted to a completely different scenario, particularly in relation to biomedical indicators. Public investments since the 1930s in health and nutrition, as well as basic education and potable water and sani- tation, have had a significant impact in reducing the incidence of communicable diseases and malnutrition, playing a decisive role in overall health improvements. The most relevant changes in health conditions in the last decades are the predominance of chronic diseases and injuries, that have increased from 53.7% of all deaths in 1970 to 75.1% in 1995 – with cardiovascular diseases as the main cause of death and one of the main causes of morbidity among adults. Simultaneously, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (lack of exercise, inadequate diet, hyperlipidaemias, smoking and excessive alcohol ingestion) is high and increasing. Malignant tumours are also increasing as a percentage of causes of death, following the increasing risk factors for cancer 1 . A reversal of the nutrition situation, with an important decrease in undernutrition and increase in obesity, have also occurred in the 1990s. The epidemiological transition describes the shift from a pattern of high prevalence of infectious diseases and malnutrition to a pattern of high prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases strongly associated with lifestyle 2 . A later pattern of delayed degenerative diseases has been more recently formulated with a progression in life expectancy and a major shift to mortality patterns related to chronic and degenerative diseases 3 . Demographic and epidemiological transitions are the framework for the nutrition transition, which is based on changes in human diet and nutritional status of the population. Clearly, the patterns of dietary change over time and space that constitute the nutrition transition have occurred concurrently with demographic, socio- economic and epidemiological change 4 . This paper examines socioeconomic, demographic, epidemiological and nutrition changes that have occurred in Chile in the last decades using concepts of epidemiological and nutrition transition, and discusses policies related to nutrition.  2000 Nutrition Society * Corresponding author: Email fvio@uec.inta.uchile.cl