Estado nutricional y hábitos del estilo de vida en preescolares de los centros infantiles en Cuenca – Ecuador

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the nutritional status and lifestyle habits in preschool children from 2 to 4 years in Children’s Centers of Good Living in the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) in Cuenca - Ecuador. METHODOLOGY: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The nutritional status of 156 children was evaluated according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO) 2007. A survey that included questions about caregiver type, type of family, social stratum, eating habits, and hours in front a screen was performed. RESULTS: The 26.9% of children presented low height / age and 72.4% normal height. In the weight / age indicator showed about 0.6% underweight and 1.2% overweight and obesity. In the body mass index indicator / age no child presented emaciation, a 35.9% at risk of overweight and 8.3% overweight / obesity was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic malnutrition and overweight are high, which are characteristics of a country experiencing a nutrition transition. KEYWORDS: Child Nutrition Disorders, Child, Preschool, Food Habits, Life Style, Nutritional Transition