title: Weight and height of people living with HIV/AIDS attended by the Brazilian National Health System.
abstract: The nutritional status of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is related to morbidity and mortality and its monitoring is important in the maintenance of the health status. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in Brazilian National Health System in the Municipality of São Paulo. It describes anthropometrical characteristics: weight and height; indices of weight for height (W/H), height for age (H/A), body mass index for age (BMI/A) and Z score for height and weight. The study includes 772 participants from all ages: children, adolescents, adults and elderly. The graphical analysis shows that in under-5s and in the 5 to 19 years old group, the W/H, the H/A and the BMI/A curves are similar to the reference population with an exception in the H/A for 5 to 19 years old group which is left-shifted (mean Z = -0.66). In the case of adults, graphics for the study population show median weight apparently lower than in the reference population for most age groups in the case of men, and when age is greater in women. The proportion of people over 20 years old with AIDS on anti-retroviral therapy is lower when coinfection is present (p < 0.001). The findings of the study showed that, for children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS, the average weight and height are lower than the values for non infected population. For adults and elderly, the weight average is lower than the reference population with a worsening among coinfected patients. This underscores the need to direct more effort in nutritional actions thus helping enhance the health status of this group.
authors.affiliation: Sao Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Katia Cristina
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bassichetto
authors.affiliation: Departmento of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Denise Pimentel
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Collective Health, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Deivis Elton Schlickmann
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Frainer
authors.affiliation: Sao Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vania Regina Salles
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Sao Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edina Aparecida Tramarin
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Trovões
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult