Quantitative Analysis - Nutritional Benchmarking

This directory contains quantitative analysis scripts that compare ideal menus co-designed in participatory workshops with Colombian nutritional references.

� Quick Start

Option 1: Interactive Quarto Report (Recommended)

View the complete analysis in an interactive HTML report:

quarto render analysis.qmd
open analysis.html

The analysis.qmd document integrates all scripts with narrative explanations, visualizations, and key findings in a reproducible format.

Option 2: Run Scripts Individually

Follow the sequential workflow described below to run each script separately.

�📊 Analysis Flow

The analysis follows a sequential 4-step flow:

graph TD
    A[Bases de datos.xlsx] --> B[01_GenDataSet.R]
    B --> C[DS_Talleres_RIEN.rds]
    B --> D[DS_Talleres_GABAS.rds]
    C --> E[02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R]
    D --> F[03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R]
    C --> G[04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R]
    E --> H[RIEN Graphs]
    F --> I[GABAS Graphs]
    G --> J[Nutritional Heatmap]

📁 Main Scripts

0. Required Libraries (`# Required libraries.r`)

Install and load necessary libraries:

# Main libraries
library(tidyverse)      # Data manipulation and graphics
library(hrbrthemes)     # ggplot themes
library(readxl)         # Excel file reading
library(reshape2)       # Data reshaping

Run first: This script ensures all dependencies are available.

1. Dataset Generation (`01_GenDataSet.R`)

Purpose: Processes raw workshop data and generates structured datasets comparable with Colombian nutritional references.

Input:

Bases de datos.xlsx - Raw workshop data (“Gramaje” sheet)
GABAS equivalence table (“equiv_table_GABAS” sheet)
RIEN references (“RIEN” sheet)
GABAS references (“GABAS_Referencias” sheet)

Process:

Reads food weight data selected in workshops
Assigns each food to a GABAS group (Food-Based Dietary Guidelines)
Calculates total servings by region and age group
Compares with GABAS references (recommended servings)
Calculates nutritional adequacy vs RIEN (Recommended Intake of Energy and Nutrients)

Output:

DS_Talleres_GABAS.rds / .xlsx - Dataset with servings by food group
DS_Talleres_RIEN.rds / .xlsx - Dataset with nutritional adequacy

Run:

source("01_GenDataSet.R")

2. RIEN Visualization (`02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R`)

Purpose: Generates nutritional adequacy graphs comparing co-designed menus with RIEN requirements.

Input:

DS_Talleres_RIEN.rds

Generated graphs:

reg_Calorias.png - Energy adequacy by region and age group
reg_Proteina.png - Protein adequacy
reg_CHO.png - Carbohydrate adequacy
reg_Grasas.png - Fat adequacy
reg_Fibra.png - Fiber adequacy
reg_Calcio.png - Calcium adequacy
reg_Hierro.png - Iron adequacy
reg_Sodio.png - Sodium adequacy
ALL_Macronutrientes.png - Macronutrient comparison (all groups)
ALL_Micronutrientes.png - Micronutrient comparison (all groups)

Interpretation:

Green point: Lower recommendation limit (EAR - Estimated Average Requirement)
Red point: Upper recommendation limit (RDA - Recommended Dietary Allowance)
Black diamond: Average value of co-designed menus
Gray line: Adequacy range

Run:

source("02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R")

3. GABAS Visualization (`03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R`)

Purpose: Generates graphs of servings by food group comparing with Colombian Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (GABAS).

Input:

DS_Talleres_GABAS.rds

GABAS food groups:

Fruits
Vegetables
Cereals and tubers
Legumes
Animal-source proteins
Dairy
Fats and sugars

Generated graphs:

reg_GABAS.png - Servings by food group by region
ALL_GABAS.png - Aggregated comparison of all groups

Interpretation:

Compares daily selected servings vs GABAS recommendations
Identifies under-represented or over-represented food groups

Run:

source("03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R")

4. Nutritional Heatmap (`04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R`)

Purpose: Generates a nutritional adequacy heatmap by age group, visualizing the complete nutritional profile in an integrated way.

Input:

DS_Talleres_RIEN.rds

Generated graph:

panel_b_heatmap.pdf - Heatmap of % RIEN adequacy by nutrient and age group

Color interpretation:

🔴 Dark red: < 70% or > 130% (inadequacy)
🟡 Yellow: 70-90% or 110-130% (suboptimal)
🟢 Green: 90-110% (adequate)

Nutrients analyzed:

Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
Fiber
Calcium
Iron
Sodium

Run:

source("04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R")

🔄 Run Complete Analysis

To reproduce the entire analysis from scratch:

# 1. Install required libraries
source("# Required libraries.r")

# 2. Generate datasets
source("01_GenDataSet.R")

# 3. Generate RIEN visualizations
source("02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R")

# 4. Generate GABAS visualizations
source("03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R")

# 5. Generate nutritional heatmap
source("04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R")

Estimated time: ~2-3 minutes

📂 Data Files

Inputs

File	Description
`Bases de datos.xlsx`	Primary workshop data with foods, servings, and nutritional composition
`Tabla de gramajes.xlsx`	Reference table for serving size estimation

Outputs

File	Type	Description
`DS_Talleres_GABAS.rds`	RDS	Processed dataset with GABAS servings
`DS_Talleres_GABAS.xlsx`	Excel	Excel version of GABAS dataset
`DS_Talleres_RIEN.rds`	RDS	Processed dataset with RIEN adequacy
`DS_Talleres_RIEN.xlsx`	Excel	Excel version of RIEN dataset

📈 Available Graphs

All graphs are saved in the graphs/ folder:

By Region and Age Group

reg_Calorias.png
reg_Proteina.png
reg_CHO.png
reg_Grasas.png
reg_Fibra.png
reg_Calcio.png
reg_Hierro.png
reg_Sodio.png
reg_GABAS.png

Aggregated

ALL_Macronutrientes.png
ALL_Micronutrientes.png
ALL_GABAS.png
ALL_Otros.png
panel_b_heatmap.pdf (used in the article)

🔍 Nutritional References

RIEN (Recommended Intake of Energy and Nutrients)

Source: Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), 2015

Energy: Healthy adult 70kg, light-moderate activity
Proteins: 0.8-1.0 g/kg/day (EAR-RDA)
Carbohydrates: 130-175 g/day (EAR-RDA)
Fats: 20-35% of total energy (AI)
Fiber: 25-38 g/day (men-women average)
Calcium: 800-1000 mg/day (EAR-RDA)
Iron: 6-8 mg/day (EAR-RDA)
Sodium: 1500 mg/day (AI - Adequate Intake)

GABAS (Food-Based Dietary Guidelines)

Source: Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection, 2015

Daily serving recommendations by food group for Colombian adult population.

🛠️ System Requirements

R: version 4.0 or higher
RStudio: recommended for interactive execution
R libraries: see # Required libraries.r

📝 Methodological Notes

Servings: Estimated using visual food models adapted from Nelson et al. (1997)
Nutritional composition: Colombian Food Composition Table (ICBF)
Aggregation: Averages by age group and region when multiple workshops
Benchmarking: Co-designed menus represent perceived ideals, not habitual intake

⚠️ Limitations

Data represent co-designed ideal menus, not actually consumed diets
Servings are estimates based on visual models
Nutritional composition may vary according to local preparation
Small sample size per subgroup (exploratory analysis)

📧 Contact

For technical questions about the analyses, contact:

Quantitative analysis: Harold Cardona-Trujillo (hcardonat@eafit.edu.co) / Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora (jmunozm1@eafit.edu.co)
Repository: https://github.com/jcmunozmora/food-perception-rural-colombia

Last updated: February 2026

Quantitative Analysis - Nutritional Benchmarking

� Quick Start

Option 1: Interactive Quarto Report (Recommended)

Option 2: Run Scripts Individually

�📊 Analysis Flow

📁 Main Scripts

0. Required Libraries (# Required libraries.r)

1. Dataset Generation (01_GenDataSet.R)

2. RIEN Visualization (02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R)

3. GABAS Visualization (03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R)

4. Nutritional Heatmap (04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R)

🔄 Run Complete Analysis

📂 Data Files

Inputs

Outputs

📈 Available Graphs

By Region and Age Group

Aggregated

🔍 Nutritional References

RIEN (Recommended Intake of Energy and Nutrients)

GABAS (Food-Based Dietary Guidelines)

🛠️ System Requirements

📝 Methodological Notes

⚠️ Limitations

📧 Contact

0. Required Libraries (`# Required libraries.r`)

1. Dataset Generation (`01_GenDataSet.R`)

2. RIEN Visualization (`02_Gen_Graph_RIEN.R`)

3. GABAS Visualization (`03_Gen_Graph_GABAS.R`)

4. Nutritional Heatmap (`04_Gen_Graph_Nutrients.R`)