MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN AND HEALTHY EATING AMONG PARENTS IN A RURAL ECUADORIAN VILLAGE
Keywords:
eating behavior, nutritional status, obesity, overweight, malnutrition, poverty, dietAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v9i17.0694
Abstract
Introduction: Malnutrition can be defined as a nutritional deficiency or imbalance due to poor or excessive nutrition, or due to organic problems. Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide, both in children and adults. Method: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted in children aged 1 to 9 years and their parents or guardians living in the rural hamlet of Ambabaquí in the Ecuadorian highlands. Anthropometric measurements and nutritional assessment by BMI were performed (boys), and the "Healthy Eating Knowledge Test" questionnaire was administered (parents). Results: 27.2% of weight variability can be explained by BMI, while only 1% by height. Children aged 1 to 9 years have a BMI distribution that remains relatively constant across ages; the median weight is slightly higher than that of girls. Normal nutritional status predominates in all age groups and in both sexes. Nutritional extremes appear in older children, with obesity in 8- and 9-year-olds and overweight in 7-year-olds. At the other extreme, the risk of malnutrition is highest in 5- and 6-year-olds, and undernutrition in the 5, 6, and 9-year-old groups. Furthermore, there is a negative correlation, with a slight tendency to indicate that the higher the level of parental knowledge, the more favorable the BMI assessment may be in children (closer to normal). Conclusions: Normal nutritional status predominates across the different age groups and both sexes, although cases of malnutrition were identified in younger children, and overweight and obesity in older children.
Keywords: eating behavior, nutritional status, obesity, overweight, malnutrition, poverty, diet.
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