Nutritional status of a nationwide sample of rural Mexican populations

Information on nutritional status of the rural Mexican population is mostly obtained from cross-sectional studies. This investigation evaluates semi-longitudinally the nutritional level of a sample of the rural population of Mexico. A total of 15,552 individuals in 2,587 households from 208 rural communities were evaluated. Body weight and height of rural boys and girls were found to be significantly lower than in their urban counterparts. Severe forms of weight for age or height for age inadequacy were more frequent in females than in males, in smaller communities than in larger ones, and in economically depressed zones than in those with a good economy. Our data showed a lower frequency of mild and moderate forms of possible malnutrition than previous studies (20 vs 50%) using as a criterion weight for age. These differences are explained on the basis of sampling bias.