IS BODY-MASS INDEX SENSITIVELY RELATED TO SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS AND TOECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT - A CASE-STUDY FROM THE CONGO

Several nutritional surveys based on representative samples from vario us urban and rural situations show that the Congo presents a situation of nutritional transition. There is a large prevalence of low body ma ss index (BMI) in adults from rural zones and this increases with age. There is, however, a large prevalence of high BMI in urban population s despite the persistence of some degree of chronic energy deficiency (CED), particularly at younger ages. Correspondence analysis and logis tic regression were used to construct a socio-economic index and measu re adjusted risk factors for CED. In rural areas, the major risk facto rs were old age, sex (women) and the absence of schooling; low economi c status, a commonly shared factor, did not differentiate between hous eholds for CED. In Brazzaville, CED was linked to a young age (<30 yea rs) and, clearly, to poverty. The change in the prevalence of CED in m others from the capital city during a period of economic adjustment sh owed an increased incidence in young mothers, and also showed that the disparity between low and high economic levels regarding CED had grow n. Finally, there was a high level of correspondence between the mean values for the weight-for-height of children and the BMI categories of the mothers. There is a parallel evolution during the period of econo mic adjustment between the increase of wasting in infants and the incr ease of CED in mothers. Therefore BMI appears to be a potential core i ndicator for use in nutritional surveillance in the Congo.