Nutritional status of rural youth in the province of Tucumán, Argentina

OYHENART, EE.; SALAZAR BURGOS, RJ.; PAOLASSO, PC.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; IUNS 21st International Congress of Nutrition; 2017

International Union of Nutritional Sciences - Sociedad Argentina de Nutrición

Background and objectives: Tucumán has twice the rural population than the national average. A third are young people between 10 and 24 years old and 28% have some basic unmet need. This indicates that they live in conditions of vulnerability, which can have an impact on their health. Nutritional status is the result of the balance between nutrient intake and the requirements of an individual. The imbalance in some of these aspects, due to the deficit or excess, can generate malnutrition. The objective was to evaluate the nutritional status of young people attending rural schools in the province of Tucumán.Methods: The cross-sectional study included 383 cases, ranging from 9 to 15 years old, from seven rural schools in the province of Tucumán, Argentina. Four schools belonging to the department of Rio Chico, two to Tafí Viejo and one to Lules. The selection was for convenience. Anthropometric measurements were performed according to standardized protocols. Portable digital balance (precision of 100g) and vertical anthropometer (precision 0.1cm) were used. The Who Anthro Plus software was used to process the data. Results: With respect to the nutritional deficit, it was found 3.9% of stunting and 1% of wasting. At the departmental level, the following prevalences were observed, respectively: Lules 5.9% and 2.9%; Tafí Viejo 4.3% and 1.1% and Rio Chico 3.5% and 0.8%. As for overweight, we found 22.2% and 17% of obesity. The analysis by departments indicated the following prevalences of overweight and obesity: Lules 26.5% and 5.9%; Tafí Viejo 27.2% and 19.6% and Río Chico 21% and 17.5%.Conclusions: The presence of malnutrition in rural areas, predominantly due to excess, accounts for the magnitude of the existing nutritional problems. The prevalence of overweight is high and similar in all areas. In contrast, obesity manifests itself in a heterogeneous form and reaches its maximum value, as well as being overweight, in the department of Tafí Viejo. Regarding the presence of stunting and wasting, they are presented differently by area, however, they show their greater value of both indicators, in the department of Lules.