Longitudinal analysis of childhood nutritional indicators in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre

Abstract

Current analyzes of the World Health Organization's growth curves confirm the importance of the first 2 years of life as a "window of opportunity" to promote health and human capital of a population. On the other hand, the child growth deficit (<-2 z scores of the height-for-age index) was a sign of adverse conditions, leading to losses for all childhood and adult life. Global assessments show that the growth deficit remains a major public health problem in many developing countries. In Brazil, data from the National Survey of Demography and Women's and Children's Health (PNDS, 2008) show that the prevalence of growth deficit declined sharply in the Northeast region (decline from 22.1% to 5.8%), however, less intense decline was perceived in the North region, which makes this region a priority for efforts to control and prevent child malnutrition in the country. Objective: To investigate the determinants of nutritional status from birth to five years of age in a population-based longitudinal study in Cruzeiro do Sul, Western Brazilian Amazon. Methods: The cohort of births has started from the recruitment in the maternity of the municipality. Children have been followed from birth to two years of age. At 30-45 days, a telephone interview was held to record recent morbidities and assess the child's eating practices, with information about the mother's lifestyle and social support. In the follow-up, home visits have been performed at six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four months of age for anthropometric evaluation, morbidity and infant food patterns. In 2021, 5-year follow-up visits are in progress. (AU)