Ana Olívia Winiemko de Souza’s research while affiliated with Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre and other places

Objective: To verify the association between nutritional statuses, exclusive breastfeeding and the hospital stay of children. Method: Cross-sectional study. Convenience sample of 146 children aged 1-48 months and their caregivers. Data were collected in paediatric units at a university hospital of southern Brazil from January to August 2012. Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients were used for data analysis. Results: The children were classified as: eutrophic (71.9%), risk for overweight (13.0%) obese (6.2%); thin (4.1%); overweight (2.7%) and extremely thin (2.1%). Exclusive breastfeeding proved to be a protective factor for extremely thin (P = 0.029); and currently breastfeeding (P = 0.024) and previous breastfeeding (P = 0.000) were protective factors for overweight, risk for overweight and obese. The hospital stay was 3.29 ± 0.18 days. The stay was longer for the classifications overweight/obese and shorter for extremely thin/thin (P = 0.785). Conclusion: Nutritional status and exclusive breastfeeding were not risk factors for a longer hospital stay in this sample.