title: [Characterization of anthropometric assessment studies of Brazilian children attending daycare centers].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obatin an overview of available information on the anthropometric assessment of Brazilian children attending daycare centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was carried out in the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases of studies published from 1990 to 2013 in Portuguese and English languages. The following search strategy was used: (nutritional status OR anthropometrics OR malnutrition OR overweight) AND daycare centers, as well as the equivalent terms in Portuguese. In the case of MEDLINE search, the descriptor Brazil was also used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was verified that the 33 studies included in the review were comparable from a methodological point of view. The studies, in general, were characterized by their restrictive nature, geographical concentration and dispersion of results in relation to time. Considering the studies published from 2010 onwards, low prevalence of acute malnutrition and significant rates of stunting and overweight were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limitations, considering the most recent studies that used the WHO growth curves (2006), it is suggested that the anthropometric profile of Brazilian children attending daycare centers is characterized by a nutritional transition process, with significant prevalence of overweight and short stature. We emphasize the need to develop a multicenter survey that will more accurately define the current anthropometric nutritional status of Brazilian children attending daycare centers.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, PB, Brasil. Electronic address: dixisfigueroa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dixis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Figueroa Pedraza
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, PB, Brasil.
authors.forename: Tarciana Nobre de
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Menezes
mesh_terms: D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Anthropometrics; Antropometria; Children; Creches; Crianças; Daycare centers; Revisão sistemática; Systematic review