Avaliação do estado nutricional de crianças de seis a sessenta meses participantes de um programa de atenção precoce a saude / Evaluation of the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 60 months enrolled in a health early care program

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

The evaluation process of physical growth is an indicator for the analysis of health and nutritional risks of individuals and/or groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional status of children participating in a health early intervention care program. This cross-sectional study included 487 children, aged 6-60 months. Nutritional status evaluation was based on weight/height percentile, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000) growth reference. The malnutrition was defined as below the 5th percentile and obesity was defined as at or above the 95th percentile. A specific questionnaire was used to assess variables associated with the nutritional status of the individuals, using multivariate logistic regression analysis. This study evaluated children s z-score of the growth indicators (weight/age, height/age and weight/height) and the malnutrition was defined as two standard deviation below median reference population. Z-score mean values concerning age and length of breastfeeding were obtained using the analysis of variance method (ANOVA). Linear regression analysis was used to assess the effect of some variables on z-score different values observed in the present study. A low prevalence of deficit was observed for the population studied and high prevalence of underweight among children younger than 12 months. Considering the individuals younger than 24 months, 5.1% were obese and concerning those aged 24 months or older, 11.7% were also obese. Obesity level was observed to increase with age and was prevalent among children aged 24 months. Statistical difference was observed for nutritional status among children younger or older than 24 months of age. Children younger than 24 months showed the highest deviation mean values, below median reference, considering the weight/age index. A decrease in the median reference deviation concerning breastfeeding length was observed, considering means of z-score obtained for weight/age and height/age indexes. The high values observed for obesity among the children aged 24 months or older suggest that an early interdisciplinary intervention, focusing on the acquisition and maintenance of health behavior, is needed to provide the population with a better quality of life.

ASSUNTO(S)

anthropometry nutritional status crescimento obesidade antropometria estado nutricional growth obesity

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