Nutritional status and growth of indigenous Xavante children, Central Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to characterize the nutritional status of Xavante Indian children less than 10 years of age in Central Brazil and to evaluate the hypothesis of an association between child nutrition and socioeconomic differentiation in this population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2006 that included all children under the age of 10 from the Xavante village Pimentel Barbosa in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The data collected included weight, height, and sociodemographic information. Sociodemographic data were used to generate two indices ("income" and "wealth") and to determine the proportion of adults in each household. Descriptive analyses were performed for weight-for-age (W/A), height-for-age (H/A), and weight-for-height (W/H) using the NCHS and the WHO growth references. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using H/A and W/A as a response variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of a total of 246 children under the age of ten residing in the village, 232 (94.3%) were evaluated. Following the NCHS reference, 5.6% of children under the age of ten presented low W/A and 14.7% presented low H/A. Among children under the age of five, deficit percentages for weight and height were 4.5% and 29.9%, respectively, following the WHO curves. Among children < 2 years of age, H/A index variability was found to be directly related to child's age and inversely related to the proportion of adults in the household. Maternal BMI was positively associated with growth for children from 2 to 4 years of age, explaining 11.5% of the z-score variability for the H/A index. For children 5 years of age and older, the wealth index and maternal height were positively associated with H/A. No significant associations were found using W/A as the dependent variable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated that undernutrition, in particular linear growth deficit, is a notable health issue for Xavante children. These findings contrast with the nutritional profile observed among Brazilian children nationally, which is characterized by a sharp decline in child undernutrition in recent decades, even in the poorest regions of the country. This discrepancy calls attention to the persistent health disparities that exist between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Brazil.</p

Uso do Índice de Massa Corporal na avaliação do estado nutricional de adultos indígenas Xavánte, Terra Indígena Sangradouro-Volta Grande, Mato Grosso, Brasil Use of Body Mass Index to evaluate the nutritional status of Xavánte Indigenous adults, Sangradouro-Volta Grande, Mato Grosso State, Central Brazil

Este artigo examina as relações entre o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) e medidas antropométricas de composição corporal de adultos Xavánte, da aldeia São José, Terra Indígena Sangradouro-Volta Grande, Mato Grosso, Brasil, a fim de analisar a potencialidade do IMC como instrumento de avaliação do estado nutricional desse grupo indígena. O trabalho de campo foi realizado em janeiro e fevereiro de 1999, sendo aferidas medidas de massa corporal (MC); estatura (EST); perímetro braquial (PB), do quadril (PQUA) e do abdômen (PABD), e dobra cutânea tricipital (DCT) de 128 indivíduos. Os achados indicam, para ambos os sexos, uma alta correlação (r > 0,80) dos valores de IMC com a MC, PB e PABD. Houve, ainda, alta correlação do IMC com as áreas total e de gordura do braço, para as mulheres, e com o PQUA e a área total do braço, para os homens. Esses resultados sugerem que altos valores de IMC indicam excesso de tecido adiposo entre os Xavánte. Diante das evidências de um intenso processo de transição nutricional, resultando em aumento nas freqüências de sobrepeso e obesidade em adultos, é importante monitorar o perfil nutricional dos povos indígenas no Brasil.<br>This study evaluates the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and anthropometric measurements in Xavánte adults on the Sangradouro-Volta Grande Indian Reservation, Mato Grosso State, Central Brazil. The objective was to analyze the use of BMI as an indicator of nutritional status in this specific population. Fieldwork was conducted in January-February 1999. Data include body mass, height, arm, hip, and waist circumference, and triceps skinfold of 128 adults over 20 years of age. The results indicate high correlations (r > 0.80) between BMI and body mass and waist and mid upper arm circumference for both sexes. For women, fat arm area and total arm area were also highly correlated with BMI, while for men hip circumference and total arm area showed a high correlation with BMI. The results suggest that high BMI values are related to excess fat among the Xavánte. It is important to monitor changes in the nutritional status of indigenous peoples in Brazil, since there is evidence that such populations are undergoing rapid processes of nutritional transition

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Kaingang native americans in southern Brazil

The aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and obesity among a Brazilian indigenous population. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2008 among Kaingang native Americans from the central region of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Eighty two of the inhabitants aged 15 or older were selected. Height, weight, blood pressure, waistline circumference, and hip circumference were measured. After fasting, the blood was collected for the measurement of glucose, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, total cholesterol, AI and B apolipoprotein, and hemoglobin. The prevalences found were: fasting hyperglycemia (9.8%), hypercholesterolemia (4.9%), reduced HDL cholesterol (13.4%), hypertriglyceridemia (11%), abdominal obesity (37.8%), generalized obesity (26.8%), arterial hypertension (26.8%), and anemia (46.3%). The prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among the Kaingang was 11%, all in females 20 to 49 years of age. The results suggested that the changes in the indigenous lifestyle, especially in eating habits and physical activity, have occurred