Valoración del estado nutricional e intervención en adolescentes de 12 a 18 años, que asisten al Colegio "San Luis Beltrán", del cantón Cuenca- parroquia Gil Ramírez Dávalos, en el periodo mayo-julio del 2011

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of adolescents attending the College "San Luis Beltrán”. Methodology: We performed a study of participatory action research type in 323 adolescents of the College "San Luis Beltran" of the Cuenca city. We performed the evaluation of nutritional status by obtaining weight and height and his correspondence with growth charts from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health. Was filled the Nutritional tab, the food survey and the physical activity evaluation, using a questionnaire developed and validated (precaps). The intervention was performed through talks. Later was applied again knowledge survey (postcaps) to assess the level of knowledge, pre and post intervention. Results: Mean age was 15.5 years, variants of nutritional status were: Overweight, Obesity and underweight. We found 77.7% of normal in the adolescent population, 15.8% overweight, 5.6% obese and 0.9% underweight. Tthe Knowledges in all items was low, on average initial knowledge of the precaps was 45.16% and reached 83.9% postcaps. In practice the most common cooking method, stew food was 40.2%, 56% of the population consumes 1 to 2 times a week unhealthy food, 49.5% consumes 3 meals daily, consumption of dairy, meat, legumes was 1 once daily, cereals from 1 to 5 times daily, fruit 3 to 5 times daily, and sausage of 1 to 3 times weekly. 58.8% of the population practice, light physical activity. Conclusions: the most of adolescents studied presented normal nutritional state, followed by overweight and obesity. The knowledges about topic significantly improved after the educational intervention proposed and applied in general food practices were not adequate, however expected to improve with the intervention due to foreground.