VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY AND ENERGETIC PROTEINIC MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN FROM SEMIARID AREAS IN BAHIA, BRAZIL

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira ASSIS, Ana Marlúcia
• Data de Publicação: 1997
• Outros Autores: da Silva PRADO, Matildes, Soares de FREITAS, Maria do Carmo, Martins CRUZ, Maisa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista de Nutrição
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/9987
• topic: vitamin A de.frciency; energetic proteinic malnutrition; rural area; defIciência de vitamina A; desnutrição energético–protéica; área rural

This research studied the association between vitamin A deÍtciency and energetic proteinic malnutrition. This survey included 161 children from 6 to 72 months of age, from families of small peasants in rural areas of a semiarid region in Bahia, Brazil. The nutrüional status was evaluated according to height/age, weight/age and weight/height indiccúors in < - 2.oo standard deviation (SD) gf the population of reference a\'erage {National Center of Health Statistics-NCHS). According to these indicators malnutrition reaches 32.9%, 15.5% and 1.9% of children, respectively. Vitamin A nutritional status was evaluated bv the spectrophotometric method gf Besse}’-Loww modIfIed by Araujo and Flores. The prevalence qt low plasma retinol levels (19.9 to 10 Hg/dl) was oÍ40.4%; the level which ruas considered de.ficient (< - 10 pg/dl) reached 4.3% o.f the cases, totalizing 44.7%, oÍchildren with vitawlin A de.ncienc}’. The prevalence ratio and conftdence intelvaI were adopted respectively as association nreasure cmd signjftcance. The main available dietetical source of vitamin Afor those children \tas represented by carotenoids especially beta-carotene, The energetic proteinic lnalnutrition was not associated to vitamin À dqnciency in that group of children.