[Association between mothers' quality of life and infants' nutritional status].
OBJECTIVE
Determine associations between the quality of life of mothers and the nutritional status of children.


METHODS
case-control study involving 152 mothers of children aged zero to five years, living in the coverage area of a basic health unit in the city of Porto Alegre. The calculation of sample size was estimated as 152 mothers - 76 mothers with children at nutritional risk/malnutrition (cases) and 76 mothers with eutrophic children (controls). Information was collected regarding the quality of life of mothers, measured by the instrument of the World Health Organization, and the association between maternal quality of life and nutritional status of children was examined.


RESULTS
In relation to the psychiatric realm, for each eutrophic child whose mother has lower quality of life there is a chance of 5.4 children at nutritional risk/malnutrition with mothers in the same condition. In the environmental field, for each eutrophic child whose mother has lower quality of life there is a chance of 2.9 children at nutritional risk/malnutrition with mothers in the same condition. Regarding educational level, for each eutrophic child whose mother has lower quality of life there is a chance of 4.2 children at nutritional risk/malnutrition with mothers in the same condition.


CONCLUSIONS
Mothers' low quality of life was associated with an infant in nutritional risk/malnutrition and may be a risk factor for the nutritional status of children.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina, Ciências Médicas da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Sistema de Saúde Mãe de Deus.
Fernanda de Matos
Fde M
Feijó
Deborah Filippini
DF
Carraro
Maria Rita Macedo
MR
Cuervo
Martine Elisabeth Kienzle
ME
Hagen
Wilson Paloschi
WP
Spiandorello
Alessandra Campani
AC
Pizzato
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009035:Mothers; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011788:Quality of Life