Revista de la Facultad de Medicina (Jan 1998)
Determinación de parámetros antropométricos para la valoración nutricional de la gestante
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine more utility anthropometrics parameters and to propose an instrument to evaluate the nutritional status of pregnant women. Methodology: A descriptive and transversal study took place with 66 pregnant women, older than 18 years old, that attended pregnant women check up consultations at health service institutions of Cundinamarca, province of Colombia. The following anthropometric parameters were considered: weight before pregnancy height and current weight, triceps skinfold, arm circumference, arm muscle area and body mass index (BMI). Results: According to BMI and the weigh/height (V/H) indicator, an important percentage of pregnant women (62.8% and 57.6% respectively), started their pregnancy with a normal nutritional status. The majority of the pregnant women (69.4%) showed a normal weight gain percentage according to the parameters established by Gueri. When classifying the pregnant women in the increment weight graphic for pregnant women of Rosso and Mardones, only 39,4% classified as normal and 27.3 % presented low weight, this last cipher is probably higher when compared with the parameters of Gueri. Conclusions: The BMI and the W/H indicators are important for the nutritional status evaluation at the beginning of the pregnancy period and they become predictive measures of the development of the pregnancy, only when the data of the woman's weight before she became pregnant is confiable. This data is difficult to obtain in the population studied because the majority of the women attend pregnancy check ups at the end of their pregnancy. Finally, it is important to indicate that the graphic of Rosso and Mardones is a very agile and practical instrument which allows to do the follow up of the nutritional status during pregnancy.
