Dietary practices and nutritional status of 0–24-month-old children from Brazilian Amazonia
- 4 March 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Public Health Nutrition
- Vol. 12 (12), 2335-2342
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980009004923
Abstract
Objective: To assess the nutritional status and dietary practices of 0–24-month-old children living in Brazilian Amazonia.Design: Cross-sectional study. Information on children’s dietary intakes was obtained from diet history data. Weight and length were measured for anthropometric evaluation. Fe status was assessed using fasting venous blood samples; Hb, serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor concentrations were measured.Setting: The towns of Assis Brasil and Acrelândia in the state of Acre, north-west Brazil.Subjects: A total of sixty-nine randomly selected 0–24-month-old children.Results: Of these children, 40·3 % were anaemic, 63·1 % were Fe-deficient, 28·1 % had Fe-deficiency anaemia and 11·6 % were stunted. Breast-feeding was initiated by 97·1 % of mothers, followed by early feeding with complementary foods. The dietary pattern reflected a high intake of carbohydrate-rich foods and cow’s milk, with irregular intakes of fruit, vegetables and meat. All infants and 92·3 % of toddlers were at risk of inadequate Fe intakes. Fe from animal foods contributed on average 0·5 % and 14·3 % to total dietary Fe intake among infants and toddlers, respectively.Conclusions: Poor nutritional status and inadequate feeding practices in this study population reinforce the importance of exclusive breast-feeding during the first 6 months of life. Greater emphasis is required to improve the bioavailability of dietary Fe during complementary feeding practices.Keywords
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