title: Physical growth curves of indigenous Xavante children in Central Brazil: results from a longitudinal study (2009-2012).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nutritional profile of Indigenous children in Brazil is comparable to those observed in some of the least developed regions of the world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Weight and height growth curves were characterised based on longitudinal data from a local Indigenous population experiencing the double burden of child under-nutrition and adult obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anthropometric data were collected in six waves from 2009-2011 for children <10 in two proximate Xavante villages in Central Brazil. Prevalence rates for stunting, wasting and thinness were calculated using WHO references. Weight and height data were adjusted for generalised additive mixed models to generate growth curves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence rates of stunting and wasting were high, but cases of thinness and excess weight were negligible. Weight and height began close to WHO medians, but fell substantially before 12 months. Boys but not girls were able to catch-up in weight before age 10. From 3-10 years, height for both sexes remained between -2 and 0 z-scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired Xavante growth before 1 year followed by inconsistent recovery before 10 years reflects health and wellbeing disparities with regard to the Brazilian national population and a complex epidemiology of growth involving rapid nutritional change.
authors.affiliation: a Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , RJ , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Aline A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: b Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Rio de Janeiro , RJ , Brazil.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.affiliation: b Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Rio de Janeiro , RJ , Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo Marcelo
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: b Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Rio de Janeiro , RJ , Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos E A
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Coimbra
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D044382:Population Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Nutritional assessment; body height; body weight; health status disparities; malnutrition/epidemiology