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Determinants of growth retardation in Southern Brazil

Denise Aerts1, Maria de Lourdes Drachler, Elsa Regina Justo Giugliani

  • 1Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil. daerts@via-rs.net

Cadernos De Saude Publica
|October 16, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Low family income, maternal illiteracy, and poor housing significantly increase stunting risk in Brazilian children under five. Early life factors like low birth weight and birth spacing also play crucial roles in child growth retardation.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Child growth retardation, specifically stunting, is a significant public health concern globally.
  • Identifying key determinants is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the determinants of stunting in children under five years old in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
  • To estimate the odds ratios for various risk factors associated with stunting.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional, population-based study involving 3,389 children under five.
  • Hierarchical modeling framework applied to analyze determinants of stunting (height-for-age < -2 Z-scores).

Main Results:

  • Stunting prevalence was 6.8%.
  • Key determinants included low per capita family income, maternal illiteracy, inadequate housing conditions, young maternal age at birth, and being an adopted child.
  • Factors like birth order, short birth intervals, multiple births, low birth weight, and early childhood hospitalization were also significant risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • Socioeconomic and environmental factors, alongside perinatal and early childhood health indicators, are critical determinants of stunting.
  • Findings provide evidence for primary healthcare services to design targeted interventions for stunting prevention.

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