Nutritional status of indigenous children: findings from the First National Survey of Indigenous People's Health and Nutrition in Brazil

Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional. Departamento de Antropologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil
Universidade Federal da Bahia. Escola de Nutrição. Salvador, BA, Brasil
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Departamento de Nutrição. Recife, PE, Brasil
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of undernutrition, which is closely associated with socioeconomic and sanitation conditions, is often higher among indigenous than non-indigenous children in many countries. In Brazil, in spite of overall reductions in the prevalence of undernutrition in recent decades, the nutritional situation of indigenous children remains worrying. The First National Survey of Indigenous People’s Health and Nutrition in Brazil, conducted in 2008–2009, was the first study to evaluate a nationwide representative sample of indigenous peoples. This paper presents findings from this study on the nutritional status of indigenous children < 5 years of age in Brazil. Methods: A multi-stage sampling was employed to obtain a representative sample of the indigenous population residing in villages in four Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Central-West, and Southeast/South). Initially, a stratified probabilistic sampling was carried out for indigenous villages located in these regions. Households in sampled villages were selected by census or systematic sampling depending on the village population. The survey evaluated the health and nutritional status of children < 5 years, in addition to interviewing mothers or caretakers. Results: Height and weight measurements were taken of 6,050 and 6,075 children, respectively. Prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, and wasting were 25.7%, 5.9%, and 1.3%, respectively. Even after controlling for confounding, the prevalence rates of underweight and stunting were higher among children in the North region, in low socioeconomic status households, in households with poorer sanitary conditions, with anemic mothers, with low birthweight, and who were hospitalized during the prior 6 months. A protective effect of breastfeeding for underweight was observed for children under 12 months. Conclusions: The elevated rate of stunting observed in indigenous children approximates that of non-indigenous Brazilians four decades ago, before major health reforms greatly reduced its occurrence nationwide. Prevalence rates of undernutrition were associated with socioeconomic variables including income, household goods, schooling, and access to sanitation services, among other variables. Providing important baseline data for future comparison, these findings further suggest the relevance of social, economic, and environmental factors at different scales (local, regional, and national) for the nutritional status of indigenous peoples.

Keywords in Portuguese

Brasil, Índios Sul-Americanos, Região Norte, Saúde de Populações Indígenas, Região Nordeste, Epidemiologia, Região Centro-Oeste, Região Sul, Região Sudeste, Saúde da Criança, Antropometria, Estado Nutricional, Avaliação Nutricional, Indicadores Básicos de Saúde, Desigualdades em Saúde, Perfil de Saúde, Baixa Estatura para Idade, Baixo Peso para Idade, Condições Socioeconômicas, Inquéritos Nutricionais, Desnutrição Infantil, Inquérito Nacional de Saúde e Nutrição de Povos Indígenas, Cresimento Infantil, Nanismo Nutricional, Alimentação e Nutrição

DeCS

Brasil, Saúde de Populações Indígenas, Índios Sul-Americanos, Epidemiologia, Saúde da Criança, Antropometria, Estado Nutricional, Avaliação Nutricional, Desnutrição Infantil, Nanismo Nutricional, Condições Socioeconômicas, Alimentos, Dieta e Nutrição

Citation

HORTA, Bernardo L. et al. Nutritional status of indigenous children: findings from the First National Survey of Indigenous People's Health and Nutrition in Brazil. International Journal for Equity in Health, v. 12, n. 23, 2013.

ISSN

1475-9276

DOI

10.1186/1475-9276-12-23

URI

https://repositorio.bvspovosindigenas.fiocruz.br/handle/bvs/1258

Collections

AN - Artigos de Periódicos

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