April 2013
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3 Reads
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1 Citation
An anthropometric assessment was conducted on 1238 children (age 6 mo–7 yr) from 18 rural communities in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. The anthropometry scan included collection of weight, height or recumbent length, mid‐arm circumference, age and gender. The data was processed using WHO Anthro, WHO Anthro Plus and Epi Info. 907 children (73.21%) had a height‐for‐age Z score (HAZ) of −1.0 or lower. Of these, 429 children had a HAZ of −1 to −1.99, 335 had a HAZ score of −2.0 to −2.99 and 143 had a HAZ of <−3.0. For weight‐for‐height Z scores (WHZ), 800 children (64.6%) were within the normal range (WHZ −0.99 to 0.99), 27 (2.2%) were overweight (WHZ 2.0 to 3.0) and 14 (1.1%) were obese (WHZ >; 3.0). 231 children (18.7%) had WHZ of −1.0 or lower. Of these, 159 children had WHZ of −1.0 to −1.99, 51 had WHZ of −2.0 to −3.0, and 21 had WHZ <−3. The assessment demonstrates widespread stunting in this population and suggests a potential underlying malnutrition problem. This region in southwestern Guatemala is not generally recognized as an area afflicted with extensive nutritional inadequacies or food insecurity. Further evaluation of nutritional status in this population is warranted. This study was supported by the Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition®.