Nutrition profile of children in Maranhão state

Combating malnutrition is among the greatest health challenges and needs to be guided by the reality of each region. Studies that assess nutritional status are essential to support interventions, especially in children.

To analyze the nutritional status of under-five children attended by the family health strategyin the state of Maranhao.

Cross-sectional study with children of a sample of probabilistic and stratified representative for the state, six to 59 months. The variables age of the child, gender, household situation and Food Insecurity (Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity) classification were collected through interviews. The z-score (Z) values ​of height for age, weight for height and Body Mass Index (BMI) for age were calculated.Thenutritional status of the children was classified according to the norms of the Ministry of Health. Statistical methods of correlation were used to analyze the data.

Of the 956 children, 9.6% had low or very low height for age. According to the BMI for age overweight was observed in 23.2% of children. The rural children have on average less height and body mass index Z. In total 70.4% of children were food insecure with inverse correlation with height-for-age Z (r = -0,15, p < 0,0001) and no correlation with BMI z score for age (r = -0,05, p= 0,09).

Chronic malnutrition can still be considered a public health problem despite the nutritional transition that already occurs in these families.