RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Analyze malnutrition and anemia trends in Peruvian children under 5 years of age and their association with determinants in the 2000-2011 period. METHODS: Nutritional indicators for children under 5 years of age from the 2011 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES), and their evolution based on data from the 2000, 2005, and 2008 ENDES, were analyzed. Chronic malnutrition (CM) (height/age ≤ 2 SD), acute malnutrition (AM), (height/weight ≤ 2 SD), and anemia trends were estimated. Associations were found with factors such as sex, age, area of residence (urban or rural), region of residence, mother's education, wealth quintile, availability of public water system, sewer availability, altitude, presence of other children in household, birth order, presence of diarrhea in previous 15 days, and presence of cough in previous 15 days. RESULTS: AM, CM, and anemia in Peruvian children under 5 years of age decreased from 2000-2011. This reduction was not uniform for the three conditions, with decreases of 1.1% to 0.4% recorded for AM, 31.6% to 19.6% for CM, and 50.4% to 30.7% for anemia. Although the factors analyzed were related to the prevalence of these three illnesses, calculation of the adjusted odds ratios showed significant differences for CM (mother's education, Sierra region, altitude greater than 2 500 m above sea level, presence of two or more children in household, and being the third or successive child) and anemia (child sex [higher in males], children under 2 years of age, Resto de costa region and Selva region, altitude greater than 2 500 m above sea level, availability of public water system, sewer availability, presence of two or more children in household, and presence of diarrhea within 15 days prior to the survey). For AM, differences were observed according to some factors but they were not significant in the adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: In the 2000-2011 period, Peru achieved reduction of its CM, AM, and anemia rates. AM rates decreased to almost one-third, with overall figures remaining fairly low, and affecting to a greater extent highly localized areas and groups of the country. However, the current rates of chronic malnutrition and anemia continue to be very high, which represents a true challenge for public policy, as occurs in other countries of the region. In order to overcome this challenge it will be necessary to change the approach, no longer conceiving of child malnutrition exclusively as a nutritional problem and instead placing greater emphasis on the related determinants. Finally, comprehensive and integrated initiatives should be encouraged and strengthened in the poorest communities.
Assuntos
Transtornos da Nutrição Infantil/epidemiologia , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Peru/epidemiologiaRESUMO
OBJETIVO: Analizar las tendencias en materia de desnutrición y anemia en menores de 5 años peruanos y su asociación con algunos factores determinantes en el período 2000-2011. MÉTODOS: Se analizaron indicadores nutricionales de menores de 5 años de la Encuesta Demográfica y de Salud Familiar (ENDES) 2011 y su evolución a partir de datos de las ENDES 2000, 2005 y 2008. Se estimaron las tendencias de desnutrición crónica (DC) (talla/ edad ≤ 2DS), de desnutrición aguda (DA) (peso/talla ≤ 2DS) y de anemia. Se encontraron asociaciones con factores como sexo del niño, edad del niño, zona de residencia (urbana o rural), región de residencia, educación de la madre, quintil de riqueza, disponibilidad de red pública de agua, disponibilidad de cloacas, nivel de altitud, presencia de otros niños en el hogar, orden de los nacimientos, presencia de diarrea en los 15 días previos y presencia de tos en los 15 días previos. RESULTADOS: La DA, la DC y la anemia en menores de 5 años peruanos han descendido entre 2000 y 2011. Tal disminución no ha sido homogénea para las tres afecciones, registrando descensos de 1,1% a 0,4% para DA, de 31,6% a 19,6% para DC y de 50,4% a 30,7% para anemia. Si bien los factores analizados se relacionaron con las prevalencias de estos tres padecimientos, al calcular las razones de probabilidades ajustadas se encontraron diferencias significativas para DC (educación de la madre, región de Sierra, altitud por encima de 2 500 msnm, presencia de dos o más hijos en el hogar y ser el tercer hijo o sucesivo) y para anemia (sexo del niño [más en varones], niños menores de 2 años, región Resto de costa y región Selva, altitud por encima de 2 500 msnm, disponibilidad de red pública de agua, disponibilidad de cloacas, presencia de dos o más hijos en el hogar y presencia de diarrea en los 15 días previos a la encuesta). Para DA se observaron diferencias según algunos factores, pero no resultaron significativas en el modelo ajustado. CONCLUSIONES: En el período 2000-2011, Perú ha logrado disminuir sus tasas de DC, DA y de anemia. Las tasas de DA han descendido casi a un tercio, manteniéndose en cifras generales más bien bajas, y afecta en mayor medida a zonas y colectivos muy localizados del país. Sin embargo, las actuales tasas de desnutrición crónica y de anemia siguen siendo muy altas, lo que constituye un verdadero desafío para las políticas públicas, al igual que sucede en otros países de la región. Para superar ese reto será necesario modificar el enfoque, dejando de concebir a la desnutrición infantil como un problema exclusivamente alimentario y haciendo hincapié en los factores determinantes asociados. Por último, en las comunidades más pobres se deberán incentivar y fortalecer iniciativas integrales e integradas.
OBJECTIVE: Analyze malnutrition and anemia trends in Peruvian children under 5 years of age and their association with determinants in the 2000-2011 period. METHODS: Nutritional indicators for children under 5 years of age from the 2011 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES), and their evolution based on data from the 2000, 2005, and 2008 ENDES, were analyzed. Chronic malnutrition (CM) (height/age ≤ 2 SD), acute malnutrition (AM), (height/weight ≤ 2 SD), and anemia trends were estimated. Associations were found with factors such as sex, age, area of residence (urban or rural), region of residence, mother's education, wealth quintile, availability of public water system, sewer availability, altitude, presence of other children in household, birth order, presence of diarrhea in previous 15 days, and presence of cough in previous 15 days. RESULTS: AM, CM, and anemia in Peruvian children under 5 years of age decreased from 2000-2011. This reduction was not uniform for the three conditions, with decreases of 1.1% to 0.4% recorded for AM, 31.6% to 19.6% for CM, and 50.4% to 30.7% for anemia. Although the factors analyzed were related to the prevalence of these three illnesses, calculation of the adjusted odds ratios showed significant differences for CM (mother's education, Sierra region, altitude greater than 2 500 m above sea level, presence of two or more children in household, and being the third or successive child) and anemia (child sex [higher in males], children under 2 years of age, Resto de costa region and Selva region, altitude greater than 2 500 m above sea level, availability of public water system, sewer availability, presence of two or more children in household, and presence of diarrhea within 15 days prior to the survey). For AM, differences were observed according to some factors but they were not significant in the adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: In the 2000-2011 period, Peru achieved reduction of its CM, AM, and anemia rates. AM rates decreased to almost one-third, with overall figures remaining fairly low, and affecting to a greater extent highly localized areas and groups of the country. However, the current rates of chronic malnutrition and anemia continue to be very high, which represents a true challenge for public policy, as occurs in other countries of the region. In order to overcome this challenge it will be necessary to change the approach, no longer conceiving of child malnutrition exclusively as a nutritional problem and instead placing greater emphasis on the related determinants. Finally, comprehensive and integrated initiatives should be encouraged and strengthened in the poorest communities.