Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil (Aug 2002)

Saúde de populações marginalizadas: desnutrição, anemia e enteroparasitoses em crianças de uma favela do "Movimento dos Sem Teto", Maceió, Alagoas Health of marginalized populations: undernutrition, anemia and intestinal parasitic infections among children of a slum of the "Homeless Movement", Maceió, Alagoas

  • Haroldo da Silva Ferreira,
  • Monica Lopes de Assunção,
  • Vivian Sarmento de Vasconcelos,
  • Fabiana Palmeira de Melo,
  • Cláudio Galindo de Oliveira,
  • Tatiana de Oliveira Santos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1519-38292002000200010
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 2
pp. 177 – 185

Abstract

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OBJETIVOS: verificar a prevalência de desnutrição energético-protéica (DEP), anemia e enteroparasitoses em crianças de uma favela do "Movimento dos Sem Teto". MÉTODOS: estudo transversal envolvendo 137 crianças (6-60 meses). Como indicador da DEP aplicou-se o ponto de corte z OBJECTIVES: to investigate the prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), anemia and intestinal parasitic infections among children of a slum of the "Homeless Movement". METHODS: this is a cross-sectional study involving 137 children aged from six to 60 months. Malnutrition was defined by an z score < -2 of weight for age (WAZ), height for age (HAZ) and weight for height (WHZ) relatively to the NCHS. The World Health Organization method (haemoglobin colour scale) was used to characterize anemia: hemoglobin concentrations < 11g/dL. All children were submited to feces parasitological examination. RESULTS: the prevalence of nutritional deficiency for WAZ, HAZ and WHZ were, respectively, 22,6%, 16,1% and 1,5%. Almost all children were infected by, at least, one parasite (83,2%) and, among these 50,9% were multiinfested frequent. Ascaris + Trichuris (15,7%) and Ascaris + Giardia (13%) were the most frequent association. These also were the most commonly found parasites. Anemia was detected in 96,4% of the children. CONCLUSIONS: considering the high prevalence of PEM, anemia and intestinal parasitosis and also the synergic effect between undernutrition and infections, the health situation of this community is extremely precarious, so demanding a prompt intervention to guarantee better growing and developing conditions for those children.

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