CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Nutritional status of urban and rural schoolchildren from Mendoza (Argentina) was analyzed. Rural and urban categories were avoided by generating subpopulations, in function of their socio-environmental characteristics. Weight and height were transformed in z-scores using the CDC/NCHS growth charts. Underweight, stunting, and wasting were estimated by z-scores less than -2 SD. Overweight and obesity were calculated according to the cut-off proposed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The prevalence for each indicator was analyzed by means of a generalized linear model. Socio-environmental characteristics included housing, public services, parental resources, and farming practices. These variables were processed by categorical principal component analysis. The two first principal components defined four subgroups of schoolchildren: three of them were associated to urban characteristics while the other was considered as rural. The nutritional status showed differences across groups. Urban differences were mainly expressed by underweight. Rural children exhibited the greatest rates of stunting and wasting. Overweight was similar among groups and obesity was higher in urban middle-income children. The present study shows the negative effects of environment on nutritional status in children are not only confined to poor peri-urban and rural areas, which are still poor environments for growth. Some urban families may afford enough and diverse foods to children expose them to obesity. In the other extreme, the more affluent urban families seem to have greater possibilities as to their children adopt a healthy lifestyle. Although the determinants of differences between middle and high income urban groups are not clear, they possibly involve economic and educational differentials.