Abstract

RUIZ VALIENTE, Syntia Carolina; RUIZ CANETE, Manuel  and  COHENE VELAZQUEZ, Bartola. Prevalence of malnutrition and eating habits in children under 5 years of age in indigenous communities in Azote'y and Yby Yau, 2011. Pediatr. (Asunción) [online]. 2015, vol.42, n.2, pp.102-107. ISSN 1683-9803.  https://doi.org/10.18004/ped.2015.agosto.102-107.

Introduction: Childhood is a crucial stage in the development of humans, which is why proper nutrition is essential for this stage. Child malnutrition is not just a problem of lack of food, it is rooted in deeper social problems. The prevalence of malnutrition in children under five years of age  in Paraguay is 5.9% , according to the Paraguayan National Institute of Food and Nutrition. Objective: Determine the prevalence of malnutrition and the eating habits in children under five years of age in indigenous communities in the towns of Azote'y and Yaú Yby. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted from January to April 2011, which identified the prevalence of child malnutrition in indigenous children in 11 ethnic Pa'i Tavyterá and Mbya Guarani indigenous communities in Azote'y and Yby Yau. We examined 349 children under 5 years of age. The World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts were used to assess nutritional status. Children were weighed with mechanical scales. To measure height, children two and older were measured with a stadiometer and children younger than two were measured with tape. Results: Malnutrition was observed in 53 children (15% of the sample). Of these, 60.4% were suffering from moderate malnutrition and 39.6% from severe malnutrition. The highest percentage of malnutrition was found in the 0-24 month age group (71.6%). 77% of children had chronic malnutrition. Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition in indigenous children in Yby Yaú and Azote'y is 15%, which exceeds the national malnutrition rates in children under five years of age.

Keywords : Acute malnutrition; chronic malnutrition; indigenous.

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