CHILDHOOD NUTRITION IN CHILE - FROM DEFICIT TO EXCESS

Chile has undergone an epidemiological and nutritional transition. In children, there has been an important decline in the rates of nutritio nal deficit, measured as weight/height (W/H) and height/age (WA) with a corresponding increase in the prevalences of overweight and obesity. The purpose of this paper is to analyze these changes and present the results to the institutions in charge of large scale food programs to act accordingly with the current nutritional situation of their benef iciaries. This is a descriptive population-based study, which utilized the data collected by the nutritional information systems operating w ithin the two programs with the widest coverage, the Complementary Fee ding and the School Feeding Programs. The beneficiaries of the first o ne are infants and preshoolers, and although those of the second one a re primary and secondary schoolchildren, the system only collects data on first graders. Results show that in terms of W/H, the percentage o f undernourished children was already very low in 1985 and almost inex istent by 1995. With regard to growth retardation, 9.6% of children ci nder 6 and 11% of children in first grade were stunted a decade ago. T his proportion declined considerably, and is presently a problem only in 4.8% of first graders. Stunting in this group increases with age an d was found to be more common among boys. With respect to nutritional excess, obesity rates have increased rapidly, 56% in children under 6. Among children in first grade, these prevalences are presently high a nd range from 11.1% to 14.3% according to age. This rapid change in nu trition, from deficit to excess, should be taken into account by polic y makers not only to adjust the current nutrition programs but to prom ote a healthy lifestyle in other ambits. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc .