Breastfeeding pattern in a population with different levels of poverty in Southern Brazil.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 477 poor children aged 12-59 months in order to investigate their breastfeeding pattern, taking into account the poverty level of their families. Although the population living in extreme poverty had the same pattern of breastfeeding as the rest of the poor population, the former group should still have priority in breastfeeding promotion programs, since they are the population who benefit most with breastfeeding.

Poverty levels and children's health status: study of risk factors in an urban population of low socioeconomic level.

To test the hypothesis that the low socioeconomic population living in shanty towns in Porto Alegre presents different levels of poverty which are reflected on its health status, a cross-sectional study was designed involving 477 families living in Vila Grande Cruzeiro, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The poverty level of the families was measured by using an instrument specifically designed for poor urban populations. Children from families living in extreme poverty (poorest quartile) were found to have higher infant mortality rate, lower birth weights, more hospitalizations, and higher malnutrition rates, in addition to belonging to more numerous families. Thus, the shanty town population of Porto Alegre is not homogeneous, and priority should be given to the more vulnerable subgroups.