INFANT MALNUTRITION - A BIOCULTURAL STUDY IN URBAN AREAS OF PROVINCIADE BUENOS-AIRES, ARGENTINA

The present study, of microsocial nature, attempts to recover the biol ogy-culture unity in the analysis of child undernutrition. A sample wa s selected of 52 children with primary undernutrition and their famili es, from the population attending the Nutritional Rehabilitation Unit of La Plata Children Hospital. The specific index was used to measure the low socioeconomic level in families with undernourished children. The mothers were interviewed to obtain information on the perception a nd recognition of undernutrition. Observation and interviews to the me dical staff were performed in ten centers of primary health care (PHC) , in order to reveal the medical practices related to this problem. Th e results obtained showed that the studied families conjugated the mos t unfavorable life conditions within poverty. Children with adequate w eight at birth were nutritionally affected between 3 and 18 months of age, leading to height disorders. The representations and practices su stained by the mothers, relating undernutrition to a popular disease n amed ''pata de cabra'' lead to limitations in treatment. In PHC center s, conceptual and operative limitations are recorded for its detection eand early treatment. It is concluded that cultural factors present i n the two most directly related agents to child health (the mother and the PHC center) do not allow to modify the environmental effects that prematurely affect the children of poverty.