[Physical growth and nutritional status of Brazilian indian populations]

This paper reviews the literature on the physical growth of native populations from Brazil. Studies aiming at relating the physical growth patterns of these populations to their nutritional status are relatively recent and still do not provide a comprehensive picture of the situation. Compared to non-indigenous Brazilian children and international reference populations (NCHS), indigenous children are short and light for their age, although they maintain their body proportionality, as evaluated by weight for height. These findings could be interpreted as an indication of high rates of chronic protein-energy undernutrition. At least for some groups, data derived from health surveys provide further indication of the existence of marginal nutrition. It is pointed out, however, that international reference curves may not be appropriate for evaluating the physical growth of specific populations, which may be the case of Brazilian indigenous children. It is also pointed out that changes in subsistence practices and in health profiles due to the acculturation process may contribute to the deterioration of nutritional status of indigenous peoples.