Indicadores asociados a malnutrición en una población de menores de 2 años del cantón Ambato

Abstract

This research work determined the indicators associated with malnutrition in children under 2 years of age by assessing nutritional status and socio-demographic status to demonstrate the prevalence of malnutrition in a sample of 104 children who were selected using exclusion and inclusion criteria. To obtain data, a socio-demographic and dietary survey was applied to mothers or guardians of the children together with an informed consent, anthropometric data collection (weight, height/length) and biochemical (haemoglobin), the WHO ANTRO system was used to analyse the growth curves and the Jamovi statistical software to establish the relationship between indicators and nutritional status. The results determined that of the total survey population of 104 children, 79.8% (83) are children over 1 year of age, 59% (62) are female, 57.7% (60) are mestizo, 30.8% (32) are short and severely short, 20.2% (21) belong to the rural sector, and 62.5% (65) are anaemic. The socio-economic and dietary indicators were also statistically significant.