Diagnóstico nutricional de población escolar en una isla de la VII región

Abstract

Mocha Island is part of the commune of Lebu, VI region. By isolating location, conditions of life of its inhabitants are often deficient. Objective: To characterize the nutritional status of children attending the G-501 school in Mocha Island using anthropometric assessment, in order to determine the magnitude of malnutrition due to excessive food intake in this population. Patients and Method: Weight and measurement of 80 children enrolled in school (out of 88) were calculated during the medical round of December 2012, classifying their nutritional status according to the recommended table for each age. Results: Of the children, 24 (30%) had normal or eutrophic nutritional diagnosis, 25 (31.25%) were overweight and 31 (38.75%) were obese. There are more overweight and obese girls than boys. From a total of 120 children aged 0-14 living on the island, 56 had malnutrition due to excessive food intake (46.66%). Conclusions: The odds of obesity and overweight in rural, isolated and poor environments are alarming and require the creation of strategies that result in improved lifestyles for these children as well as their families.