Evaluation of the nutritional status of 1st-year school children in Campinas, Brazil.
We present findings from a study of nutritional status amongst 1st year primary school children in Brazil. The study was based on a 10% stratified random sample of children in Campinas, Sao Paulo State. The primary schools in the city were grouped into four socio-economic strata (high, medium, low and very low) based on the type of school maintenance (private or maintained by the local or by the State government) and the socio-economic characteristics of the school's catchment area. The nutritional status of 1942 children was assessed by looking at the distributions of z-scores of weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height in relation to growth charts of the National Center for Health Statistics reference population. In the overall population, 22% of the children were found to be stunted (z-score of height-for-age less than -1.0), 15% wasted (z-score of weight-for-height less than -1.0), 22% underweight (z-score of weight-for-age less than -1.0) and 5% overweight (z-score of weight-for-height greater than 2.0). These figures represent an excess of 6% of stunted children and also 6% of underweight children in comparison with the expected values in the NCHS reference population, and an excess of 2% overweight. The data were analysed by age, sex, ethnic group and socio-economic level. Both stunting and low weight-for-age were observed in 32% of children from the very low socio-economic level, with the highest percentages amongst the oldest children. A total of 11.6% of children from the high socio-economic stratum were obese. These results emphasize the need for different programmes to deal with nutritional problems in different groups of the population.
Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A A
AA
Barros
M B
MB
Barros
G H
GH
Maude
D A
DA
Ross
P S
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Davies
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Preece
D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity; D011897:Random Allocation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors