<b>Nutritional status of children under five years living in area of social vulnerability of Campina Grande, Paraíba State

Abstract

The nutritional status of children under five years living in an area of social vulnerability and its association with personal and socioeconomic characteristics are evaluated by a cross-sectional study conducted at the Basic Family Health Units (I and II) of the Mutirão district in Campina Grande PB Brazil. Current study included 76 families with under-five-year-old children and any former collector of recyclable materials from the Campina Grande landfill. The nutritional status of children was analyzed by weight / age (W/A), height / age (H/A) and weight / height (W/H) indexes to determine their anthropometric deviations and etiological analyses with children´s socioeconomic characteristics. Prevalence of 6.6% in weight deficit and 19.7% in height deficit were reported. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that W/A, H/A and W/H indexes were negatively influenced in cases of children born with low birth weight, in children who had diarrhea during the last 15 days prior to the interview and those who had protozoan parasites during the same period. Height and weight deficits were the most common nutritional disorders. Results emphasize the need to carry out periodic assessments of children´s nutritional status featuring health and socioeconomic characteristics of vulnerability.