As part of a large epidemiological study focusing on child health in the City of S.Paulo (Brazil) a representative sample of under fives (n = 1013) was evaluated anthropometrically with a view to appraising their nutritional status. Prevalence of malnutrition in S.Paulo by Gomez criteria was estimated to be of 25.9%. Moderate malnutrition reached 2.9% and prevalence of severe forms was nill. In contrast to the dramatic fall experienced in infant and child mortality, no evidence of malnutrition amelioration was noticed when results were compared with those obtained by another study performed ten years before. Age distribution of malnutrition shows that children under one year are fairly well-protected and that incidence is concentrated in the second year of life. These are considered relevant facts which ought to be borne in mind both in research into the determinants of malnutrition and in the formulation of programs for its control. Besides conforming the unquestionable socieconomic determination of malnutrition, analyses of different population strata identified about 400,000 children as being the potential target group for the prevention and control of malnutrition in the city.
Child health; Health surveys; Nutritional status; Anthropometry
