The criterion for Surveying the Nutritional State (C. S. N. S.) for pre-school children consists of reccording growth deficiences based upon concepts of severety and cronicity of WATERLOW & ALLEYNE (1971) and upon orientation of MARCONDES et al. (1974) of classification of children according to their height; it emphasizes the possible influences of time and intensity of malnutrition in growth deficiences presented by children. These deficiences are expressed by absolute numbers, instead of percentages or indexes.
The application of C. S. N. S., that has been studied by the author showed that its criterion sensibility to detect growth deficiences is similar to GOMEZ Classification (1956) — 80% and 84,2%, respectively. The equivalence in determining growth deficiences between these two criteria is as follows: children who presented severety and cronicity according to the author's criterion and were classified as malnutrition grade I and II according to GOMEZ, presented each, deficiences media of 0.72 ± 0.57 kg and 6.4 ± 1.38 cm and of 1.40 ± 0.73 kg and 9.6 ± 2.30 cm, with significant differences at 0.01% level; children who presented severety, alone, and who where considered as malnutrition grade I and II, presented each deficiences media of 1.10 ± 0.52 kg and of 2.41 ± 0,42 kg, with significant differences at 0.01% level.