Anthropometric and cycloergometric assessment of the nutritional status of the children of agricultural migrant workers in Southern Brazil.

In our survey of the food habits and nutritional status of "Boia-Fria" agricultural migrant workers in Southern Brazil, a special project was undertaken to assess the influence of socioeconomic and dietary deprivation on the physical growth and development and physical performance of their children. Four hundred fifty-five children in Boia-Fria families from Vila Recreio, a periurban slum of Ribeirao Preto located in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, were examined for body weight, standing height, mid-upper arm muscle circumference, and head circumference. For comparison, 475 children from "Vita et Pax", a private school attended primarily by children of well-to-do families from the city of Ribeirao Preto, were also examined using similar anthropometric procedures. A small group of selected Boia-Fria children and their well-to-do counterparts were subjected to ergometric-cum-electrocardiographic testing for submaximal physical work performance. The overall results of this comparative study indicate that the physical growth and development and the physical performance of the Boia-Fria children are significantly lower than their well-to-do counterparts. It is suggested that the poor anthropometric and ergometric status of the Boia-Fria children is a reflection of poor dietary habits and socioeconomic deprivation prevalent among the agricultural migrant workers and poor periurban populations of Brazil.

Vitamin E status of agricultural migrant workers in Southern Brazil.

Vitamin E status of agricultural migrant workers representing low socioeconomic population of Southern Brazil was evaluated by determining dietary intake and plasma levels of vitamin E. The mean plasma vitamin E level of 85 female and 39 male subjects was 1.14 +/- 0.33 mg/100 ml or 2.27 +/- 0.53 mg/g of total lipids in plasma. The difference between the plasma vitamin E values of male and female subjects was insignificant. Using various criteria for the assessment of plasma vitamin E levels, it was established that plasma vitamin E expressed in terms of plasma total lipids is a better indicator of vitamin E status. The actual mean alpha-tocopherol intake of this population was 5.51 +/- 3.30 mg/person from a typical diet supplying about 1500 kcal/day. On a 2500 kcl basis, the estimated mean alpha-tocopherol intake would be about 9 mg/day which compares favorably with the intake values reported for well-nourished populations. The main dietary source of vitamin E in this population is the traditional rice and beans diet with increased use of soybean oil and vegetable oil products in recent years. On the whole the vitamin E status of this Brazilian population is quite satisfactory despite inadequacies in their intake of dietary calories and other essential nutrients. The plasma vitamin E status of these subjects supports the dietary data for the intake of vitamin E in this population.

Food habits and nutritional status of agricultural migrant workers in Southern Brazil.

A new class of migrant workers, commonly known as "Boia-Frias", is rapidly growing in the periurban slumbs (favelas) of Brazil. In 1978 a collaborative study was undertaken to assess the food habits and nutritional status of 100 migrant worker families of Vila Recreio, a typical Boia-Fria settlement near Ribeirao Preto in the state of Sao Paulo. The findings of this survey revealed that the traditional diet of Boia-Frias is nutritionally inadequate both in quality and quantity. Their rice and bean-based diet lacks sufficient variety because of the infrequent use of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are available locally, and of supplemental amounts of protein-rich foods of animal origin. Empty-calorie foods such as carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages are consumed freely; and starchy foods, traditionally used in the North and Northeast of Brazil, are used commonly as weaning foods. Although dietary practices of pregnant and lactating women are poor, breast-feeding is still practiced by most mothers. The biochemical analysis of blood samples did not indicate major subclinical deficiencies except low hematological values and low plasma vitamin A concentrations in about 25% of the population examined. Plasma cholesterol and plasma vitamin E values were found to be normal. However, anthropometric examinations revealed clear signs of malnutrition and/or undernourishment, which likely impairs their capacity for physical work and adversely affects their overall health.