Nutritional improvement of poor urban preschool children. A 1983-1977 comparison.
The nutritional status of preschool children from 1,219 families living in an urban poverty area was surveyed in 1983 and these results were compared with findings from a similar survey of the same community done in 1977. A second comparison was made of children whose families participated in a commodity supplementary food program and those whose families did not participate. Results of the 1983 survey indicated improvements in median serum levels of vitamins A and C, hemoglobin, and red blood cell volume. Nevertheless, 9% to 18% of the children had low or deficient levels of vitamins A, C, B1, and B2, hemoglobin, serum iron, and transferrin saturation. Also a greater number of the preschoolers were categorized as thin. Annual incomes for families had significantly decreased from 1977 when the median value for food recipients was +3,078 to a median of +1,848 in 1983. Considering the decrease in other resources, federal food assistance programs seem to be the only identifiable factor contributing to the improvement in nutritional status over 1977.
D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004911:Erythrocyte Volume; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006262:Health / Q000639:trends*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011203:Poverty; D013714:Tennessee; D014504:Urban Health / Q000639:trends*
D006454:Hemoglobins