Nutritional status of children residing in an area of social vulnerability: longitudinal study

ABSTRACT The aim of this article was to analyze the variation of anthropometric parameters over the course of two years of children under five years of age living in a vulnerability area, according to demographic and health profile. A longitudinal study was conducted involving 55 families with children under five years old and some former garbage digger member living near the deactivated dump of Campina Grande, Paraíba. The nutritional status of the children was analyzed from the Height/Age (H/A), Weight/Age (W/A) and Weight/Height (W/H) indices, considering Z-score variations as dependent variables. The mixed effects model was used to evaluate growth tendency in a follow-up study. The diagnosis of height deficit prevailed in male children. The prevalence of stunting in the cohort decreased from 20.37% (95% CI: 17,40-24,24), in 2012, to 9.26% (95% CI: 7,54-10,58) with significant difference. Children younger than 25 months had higher mean variation in the score-Z of H/A (p = 0,01), and boys had higher variation in the score-Z of H/A (p = 0,01) and W/H (p = 0,04). There were differences in the growth of children living in unhealthy environments according to their demographic characteristics when the environmental conditions were modified.