Abstract

BOLZAN, Andrés et al. Evaluación nutricional antropométrica de la niñez pobre del norte argentino: Proyecto encuNa. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2005, vol.103, n.6, pp.545-555. ISSN 0325-0075.

Introduction. According to the social crisis that affected our country 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 child population in poverty of the Northern Argentinean provinces. Objective. To determine the nutritional status of children between 6 months and 6 years of age that belonged to poor households of the nine Northern Argentinean Provinces. 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, height/age indicators, and weight/height and body mass index (BMI) were estimated for age and sex. The comparisons were done using national and international reference standards. Results. Tucumán and Santiago del Estero in the Northwest (NWA) and Corrientes and Misiones in the Northeast (NEA) showed the highest prevalences of either low weight and low height (≤ 2 SD). The adequateness of weight/height and BMI showed biases towards the right, meaning the absence of wasting as a prevalent nutritional problem and the trend of certain groups to an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Conclusions. The present component of this project shows existing geographic gradients of nutritional problems among the population under study. The z-score values shows that chronic under nutrition is the prevalent nutritional problem; while a high risk of overweight is also present. This fact is important to be considered at the moment of development of differential responses and strategies according to the local reality affecting each province.

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

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