Cadernos de Saúde Pública (Jan 1996)
Desnutrição e obesidade infantis em duas coortes de base populacional no Sul do Brasil: tendências e diferenciais Infant malnutrition and obesity in two population-based birth cohort studies in southern Brazil: trends and differences
Abstract
Prevalências de déficits antropométricos e de obesidade foram medidas em duas coortes de nascimento de base populacional na cidade de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, em 1982 e 1993, quando as crianças tinham cerca de um ano de idade. Identificados todos os nascimentos hospitalares em cada ano, cerca de 20% das crianças foram visitadas e submetidas a exame antropométrico, totalizando 1.449 crianças em 1982 e 1.359 em 1993. Houve 20% de perdas em 1982 e 7% em 1993. Em onze anos, a prevalência de déficit de peso/idade (Prevalence of anthropometric deficits and of obesity were studied in two population-based birth cohort studies in the city of Pelotas in Southern Brazil, in 1982 and 1993. All hospital delivered babies in each one-year period were identified, and samples of approximately 20% were visited at home at around 12 months of age, totalling 1,449 children submitted to anthropometric examination in 1982 and 1,359 in 1993. Losses and refusals accounted for 20% of the children in 1982 and 7% in 1993. In this 11-year period, prevalence of weight/age deficits (below -2 standard deviations of the NCHS reference) fell from 5.4% to 3.8%, while that of weight/height dropped from 1.3% to 0.8%. Height/age deficits increased slightly, from 5.3% to 6.1%, while the proportion of obese children increased from 4.0% to 6.7%. The increase in weight at 12 months was due to a more rapid weight gain in the first year, since birthweights remained unchanged. About 10% of the children from the lowest income group had weight/age or height/age deficits, compared to 3% or less of those with a high family income. On the other hand, obesity showed a direct association with income, except for the wealthiest group, where the prevalence dropped, possibly due to concern among these families about the consequences of infant obesity.
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