Stunting in children under five years old is still a health problem in the Western Brazilian Amazon: a population-based study in Assis Brasil, Acre, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Mantovani,Saulo Augusto Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Ramalho,Alanderson Alves, Pereira,Thasciany Moraes, Branco,Fernando Luiz Cunha Castelo, Oliart-Guzmán,Humberto, Delfino,Breno Matos, Braña,Athos Muniz, Martins,Antonio Camargo, Filgueira-Júnior,José Alcântara, Santos,Ana Paula, Campos,Rhanderson Gardinali, Guimarães,Andréia Silva, Araújo,Thiago Santos de, Oliveira,Cristieli Sérgio de Menezes, Codeço,Cláudia Torres, Silva-Nunes,Mônica da
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Ciência & Saúde Coletiva (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-81232016000702257
• topic: Nutritional status; Nutritional deficiency; Child health; Stunting

Abstract Despite the process of nutritional transition in Brazil, in some places, such as the Amazon region, stunting is still an important public health problem. We identified the prevalence and factors associated with stunting in children under five years old residing in the urban area of Assis Brasil. A survey was conducted in which a questionnaire on socioeconomic, maternal and children’s conditions was applied, and height or length was measured. The children with height for age index below -2 Z-scores were considered stunted, according to the criteria by the World Health Organization. Four hundred and twenty-eight children were evaluated. Of these, 62 were stunted. Factors associated with stunting, according to adjusted models, were: the presence of open sewer, the wealth index for households, the receipt of governmental financial aid and the mother’s height, age and education. Therefore, it was observed that family and the mother’s characteristics as well as environmental and socioeconomic factors were closely related to the occurrence of stunting in the population studied, and such nutritional disturbance is still a health problem in the Brazilian Amazon.