[Access to the school food program and nutritional status of schoolchildren in Northeast and Southeast Brazil, 1997].
Access by schoolchildren (7-10 years of age) to the School Food Program was investigated in a probabilistic sample of the Brazilian population living in the Northeast and Southeast regions in 1996-97. Among children enrolled in public schools, 87.4% had lunch at school: 77.9% in the Northeast, 93.7% in the Southeast, and 77.9% and 90.7% in the rural and urban areas, respectively. Stunting was observed in 13.2% of children (13.8% of boys and 12.6% of girls) and was most prevalent in the rural Northeast (22%) and least in the urban Southeast (8.5%). Stunting was more prevalent in children out of school (27.9%) or enrolled in schools that did not supply lunch (17.9%). Prevalence of overweight was relatively high (9.6%) and similar between boys and girls, but was more prevalent in children who had lunch at school (9.8%) as compared to children attending schools without lunch programs (5.5%). These data suggest inadequate geographic, economic, and biological criteria in the School Food Program.
Burlandy
Luciene
L
Departamento de Nutrição Social, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brasil.
dos Anjos
Luiz Antonio
LA
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017150:Public Sector; D012424:Rural Population; D012574:Schools; D014505:Urban Population