title: [Nutritional status in preschoolers attending a public day-care center in Valencia, Venezuela].
abstract: With the purpose of evaluating nutritional status in a group of preschoolers attending a public day care center in Valencia, Venezuela (2002), a research was made for social stratus, anthropometric variables; weight, height and arm circumference, hemoglobin, seric retinol, presence of parasitosis and food consumption, as well as the mother's educational level. The program SPSS 11.0 and the t Student, ANOVA Post Hoc from Bonferroni and Fisher (p < 0.05) were used. A predominance of the female sex was presented (52%). According to the social stratus, 23.3% was located in the middleclass, and 76.8% on some level of poverty. 60% of the middleclass mothers had finished their high school education, while only 9.8% of the mothers in poverty had reached that level. According to the Z values (H/A, W/H and AC/H), high percentages under -1.00 were observed (27.3%, 25.6% and 24.5%, respectively). The W/H and AC/H of children of mothers studying in a university presented discrepancies when compared with children of mothers with a primary educational level. A 25.9% of anemia was presented, and there were differences between anemic and non-anemic groups for H/A and AC/H. Protozoaries were observed in 61.0%, helmintos in 16.9% and both in 22.1%. There was a 2.6 times higher risk of presenting nutritional deficiency for AC/H in the group found with parasites. An adequate consumption of energy and iron was found, with an excessive consumption of proteins and vitamin A. It is concluded that there exists a nutritional risk evaluated through hematologic parameters, the presence of parasitosis and social stratus.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Nutrición Dr. Eleazar Lara Pantin, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Carabobo.
authors.forename: Sara Irene del
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Real
authors.forename: Armando Sánchez
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: María Adela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barón
authors.forename: Nayka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Liseti
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velásquez
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001827:Body Height; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D017150:Public Sector; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D014801:Vitamin A