[Infant day care centers, a space for nutritional surveillance].
BACKGROUND
The goal of a nutrition and food surveillance system is to examine the nutritional effect of food policies and nutritional programs and predict future trends.


OBJECTIVE
To assess nutritional status of infants after implementing a nutritional and food surveillance system (SISVAN) in day care centers.


METHODS
Study population consisted of 988 children between 45 days and 60 months of age registered in the SISVAN from april 2006 to May 2007; users of 18 day care centers located in 11 counties of the state of Nuevo Leon. Analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and paired t tests for comparison of Z Score (ZS) means of nutritional indicators such as weight for height (W/H), height for age (H/A) and weight for age (W/A), between 2006 and 2007. Malnutrition prevalence rates were also estimated for both years.


RESULTS
Fifty-two percent of infants were male. In 2006, W/I H ZS mean was -0.32 +/- 0.99 and in 2007, 0.01 +/- 0.83 (p < 0.05); H/A was -0.05 +/- 0.98 and 0.46 +/- 0.89 in 2006 and 2007, respectively (p < 0.05); and W/A was -0.37 +/- 0.94 and 0.17 +/- 0.91, respectively (p < 0.05). In 2006, undernourishment prevalence varied from 14.5 to 17.8% depending of the anthropometric indicator; and in 2007, from 10.0 to 11.6%. In 2006, overweight and obesity prevalence was between 8.8 and 14.3%, also depending of the anthropometric indicator, while in 2007 between 9.7 and 10.7%.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed a positive result in malnutrition rates after one year of SISVAN implementation in children in day care centers.
Núñez-Rocha
Georgina Mayela
GM
Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social de Monterrey. mayela6591@hotmail.com
Meléndez-Buitrón
Mirna Amelia
MA
Salinas-Martínez
Ana María
AM
Elva-de-la-Garza-Casas
Yolanda
Y
Garza-Elizondo
Maria Eugenia
ME
Villarreal-Ríos
Enrique
E
D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation