Search

The mean +/-s.d. hair zinc levels of 45 pre-school and 70 school children, age 1-12 years, were 123 +/- 74 and 103 +/- 74 micrograms/g hair, respectively. The prevalence of zinc levels less than 70 micrograms/g 15 per cent (9 and 19 per cent for pre-school and school children, respectively). Anthropometric measurements showed that 25 per cent suffered from chronic malnutrition. The form of malnutrition manifested was exclusively stunting, ie, low height-for-age in the presence of adequate weight-for-height. No association was found between low hair zinc levels and nutritional status.

A simplified method was used to analyze the diets of 31 poor families in the city of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. The results are presented in terms of frequency of foods consumed, nutritional density and theoretical adequacy of the diet. Intrafamilial distribution of food intake was not considered in the analysis. Results show that the home diet was very limited in variety; only eight of the 46 items in the dietary frequency were consumed by 50% or more of the sample. Nutrient density was low for calcium, riboflavin, vitamin A and zinc. Energy density, as measured by the ratio of fat calories to protein calories (G/P) was 1.0, value considered nutritionally inadequate. Protein provided 16% of the energy and, of all nine nutrients analyzed, presented the highest levels of intake compared to recommended amounts. Theoretically, the groups at greater nutritional risk were women and children.