Abstract

RODRIGUEZ MELIAN, Annette; ALVAREZ GONZALEZ, Luis Miguel; GARCIA MELIAN, Maricel  and  MARINE ALONSO, María de los Ángeles. Assessment of nutritional status in children in Los Naranjos community, Carabobo, Venezuela. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2012, vol.50, n.3, pp. 268-277. ISSN 1561-3003.

Objectives: To assess the nutritional status of children aged 1-14 years at Los Naranjos community, Miranda Municipality, State of Carabobo, Venezuela; to describe the association of demographic, socioeconomic variables and morbidity with the nutritional status of children and to describe the behavior of these variables in the group of children with default malnutrition. Methods: A cross sectional study was developed. A questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were applied to children. The relationship between nutritional status and selected variables was assessed. Results: The prevalence rate of malnutrition was 47 %, and default malnutrition prevailed showing very low size in children. The relationship of nutritional status with demographic and socioeconomic variables was showed; and the behavior of some of these variables in default malnourished children was described. Demographic and socioeconomic variables that favored malnutrition were analyzed and compared with similar studies conducted mainly in Venezuela and Cuba. This investigation identified vulnerable groups of children who require specific actions.

Keywords : nutritional status; malnutrition; malnutrition.

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