OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare malnutrition rates among children aged from 6 months to 6 years living in tenements and shanty towns in downtown São Paulo city and characterize the differences in the socioeconomic, environmental and health conditions of the two groups. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done with 86 children living in tenements and 84 children living in shanty towns and their respective families. Malnutrition was classified according to their height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height indices when compared with those of the National Center for Health Statistics. Z-scores < -1 and < -2 were used as the cut-off points of malnutrition. Socioeconomic, environmental and health data were collected by administering a questionnaire during home visits. Data were analyzed by applying the chi-square, Student's t or Mann-Whitney tests. The significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: Mild malnutrition rate was two times higher in children living in shanty towns than in those living in tenements and moderate malnutrition rate was four times higher. Regarding the analyzed variables, dwellers of shanty towns had lower incomes, spent less on food and had worse jobs and living and sanitary conditions (p<0.001). Diarrhea was more frequent (p=0.003) and vaccination rates were lower (p<0.001) among children living in shanty towns. CONCLUSION: The rate of malnutrition found for children living in the studied shanty town was higher than that found for children living in tenements. Families living in shanty towns were considered extremely poor, with worse socioeconomic and environmental conditions than those living in tenements, evidencing aspects of urban poverty associated with childhood malnutrition.
Poverty areas; Malnutrition; Nutritional epidemiology; Socioeconomic factors; Child preeschool
