Abstract

MERCER, Raúl et al. Encuesta de nutrición de la niñez del norte argentino: Proyecto encuNa Parte II: El estado nutricional y el contexto familiar y social. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2005, vol.103, n.6, pp.556-565. ISSN 0325-0075.

Introduction. Due to the social crisis that affected Argentina during 2001 and 2002, the German Red Cross and its Argentinean counterpart, with the support of the European Commission of Humanitarian Office (ECHO), proposed the need to evaluate the nutritional status and life conditions of the children population in poverty of the Northern Argentinean provinces. Objective. To identify the nutritional status of children between 6 months and 6 years of age that belonged to poor households of the nine Northern Argentinean provinces, according to several socioeconomic dimensions. Population, material and methods. This is a cross sectional study of households under the line of poverty with at least one child aged 6 months to 6 years. A probabilistic, stratified and multistage approach was used as a sampling procedure (N= 3,630 surveys). Weight/age indicators, as well as height/age and weight/height ratios were estimated by age and sex. The comparisons were done using national and international reference standards. Results. In general, the deficit in the nutritional status corresponded to deficiencies in the social dimensions with the only exception of access to nutritional programs. The most affected indicator was height for age, reflecting a process of stunting in the population. The adequateness of weight/ height showed biases to the left, meaning the absence of wasting as a prevalent nutritional problem and the trend of certain groups to the increased risk of overweight and obesity. Conclusions. The component of this project presented here shows existing socioeconomic gradients of nutritional problems among the population under study. Although all the children are poor, not all of them are similarly affected. It is important to consider this fact when considering differential responses and strategies according to the local reality.

Keywords : Childhood; Nutritional anthropometry; Poverty; Argentinean North.

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