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Nutritional typologies in children population under 5 years old in the province of Chimborazo, Ecuador

Abstract:

Introduction: The aim of this study was to establish nutritional typologies of children under 5 years of age. Material and Methods: Observational study. 6,040 children under 5 years of age (2,955 men and 3,085 women) were studied attending to the operational units of the Dirección Provincial de Salud de Chimborazo during 2013. The variables studied were: geographical area, age, sex, weight, length/size, breastfeeding and supplementation with iron and vitamin A. For the diagnosis of nutritional status, anthropometric indicators were used: height for age (H//A) and body mass index for age (BMI//A), the cut-off points that were used for diagnosis of nutritional status were from the WHO-2006. The data was analyzed using the Anthro v1.0.4 and JMP v11 programs. A univariate analysis and then a multivariate analysis per cluster with the method K means were carried out to establish nutritional typologies. Results: The prevalence of delay in height was 36.8% and the prevalence of excess weight was 6.3%. The cluster 3 has the following characteristics; lower H//A, higher BMI//A, lower age, shorter exclusive breastfeeding time, lower weaning age, median prescription of iron and vitamin A. This cluster represents 54.95% of children. Conclusions: Cluster 3 is the most important for nutritional support and surveillance.