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This study aimed to analyze the supplementary nutritional situation of children aged 6-24 months attended by the Primary Care unit of Macaé/RJ. It was conducted as a cross-sectional study, and data was obtained from the SISVAN Web website, including and analyzing all of the records (n=218) of children between 6-24 months in the year 2013. In infants between 6-12 months, the consumption of 72.3% of vegetables, 75.3% of fruits, and 63.4% of meats was detected, considered indicators of healthy supplementary nutrition. In contrast, 23.8% were already consuming sugar-based food sources (honey, molasses, simple sugar, and unrefined cane sugar), 34.7% industrialized juice, and 17.8% soft drinks. The consumption of industrialized juice was significantly greater in boys (p-value <0.001). In children between 12-18 months, 77.6% consumed vegetables, 77.4% fruits, and 86.3% meats. The consumption of sugar-based foods was 31%, 58.6% for industrialized juices, and 50% for soft drinks. Between 18-24 months, it was recorded that 89.9% of children consumed vegetables, 83.1% fruits, and 96.7% meat. The consumption of sugar-based foods was 33.9%, 69.5% for industrialized juices, and 55.5% for soft drinks. We conclude that the indicators of healthy complementary nutrition come close to the target set by the Ministry of Health (80%).

Background: The Argentinean population is characterized by ethnic, cultural and socio-economic diversity., Aim: To calculate the percentiles of weight-for-age (W/A) and height-for-age (H/A) of schoolchildren from Argentina employing the LMS method; and to compare the obtained percentiles with those of the international and national references., Subjects and Methods: Anthropometric data of 18 698 students (8672 girls and 10 026 boys) of 3-13 years old were collected (2003-2008) from Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chubut, Jujuy, La Pampa and Mendoza. Percentiles of W/A and H/A were obtained with the LMS method. Statistical and graphical comparisons were established with the WHO (international reference) and with that published by the Argentinean Paediatric Society (national reference)., Results: Differences in W/A and H/A, regarding the references, were negative and greater at the highest percentiles and in most of the age groups. On average, the differences were greater for boys than girls and for national than international references., Conclusion: The distribution of weight and height of schoolchildren, coming from most regions of the country, differs from those of national and international references. It should be advisable to establish a new national reference based on internationally recognized methodological criteria that adequately reflect the biological and cultural diversity of the Argentinean populations.

Background: Nutritional transition has been described in various countries, each showing inherent characteristics. Furthermore, different patterns also appear within the same country., Aim: To compare the nutritional status of schoolchildren, of both sexes, living in two Argentine cities with different urban and environment characteristics, from the perspective of nutritional transition., Subjects and Methods: The sample comprised 5355 children (6-13 years) living in Puerto Madryn (Chubut) and General Alvear (Mendoza), Argentina. Weight and height were transformed into Z-scores according to NHANES I- II; underweight, stunting and wasting defined by - 2 SD and overweight and obesity calculated according the cut-off proposed by IOTF. Prevalences of nutritional status were estimated., Results: Comparison of the two cities revealed significant χ² values for the indicators of nutritional status analysed. Puerto Madryn had higher prevalences of overweight and obesity. General Alvear exhibited higher stunting and underweight values., Conclusions: The cities studied are in different stages of nutritional transition. Puerto Madryn is undergoing growing industrialization and urbanization and thus exhibits characteristics typical of an 'obesogenic' environment. General Alvear, a less complex urban centre, where some cultural patterns related to an agrarian way of life appear to have been retained, is situated at a less advanced stage.

An analysis of geomorphic system's response to change in human and natural drivers in some areas within the Río de la Plata basin is presented. The aim is to determine whether an acceleration of geomorphic processes has taken place in recent years and, if so, to what extent it is due to natural (climate) or human (land-use) drivers. Study areas of different size, socio-economic and geomorphic conditions have been selected: the Río de la Plata estuary and three sub-basins within its watershed. Sediment cores were extracted and dated ((210)Pb) to determine sedimentation rates since the end of the 19th century. Rates were compared with time series on rainfall as well as human drivers such as population, GDP, livestock load, crop area, energy consumption or cement consumption, all of them related to human capacity to disturb land surface. Data on river discharge were also gathered. Results obtained indicate that sedimentation rates during the last century have remained essentially constant in a remote Andean basin, whereas they show important increases in the other two, particularly one located by the São Paulo metropolitan area. Rates in the estuary are somewhere in between. It appears that there is an intensification of denudation/sedimentation processes within the basin. Rainfall remained stable or varied very slightly during the period analysed and does not seem to explain increases of sedimentation rates observed. Human drivers, particularly those more directly related to capacity to disturb land surface (GDP, energy or cement consumption) show variations that suggest human forcing is a more likely explanation for the observed change in geomorphic processes. It appears that a marked increase in denudation, of a "technological" nature, is taking place in this basin and leading to an acceleration of sediment supply. This is coherent with similar increases observed in other regions., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We analyzed the nutritional status of urban and rural schoolchildren from Mendoza (Argentina), but avoided rural and urban categorization by generating subpopulations as a function of their socioenvironmental characteristics. We transformed weight and height data into z-scores using the CDC/NCHS growth charts; defined underweight, stunting, and wasting by z-scores of less than -2 SD; and calculated overweight and obesity, according to the cutoff proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Socioenvironmental characteristics included housing, public services, parental resources, and farming practices; we processed these variables by categorical principal-component analysis. The two first axes defined four subgroups of schoolchildren: three of these were associated with urban characteristics, while the remaining subgroup was considered rural. Nutritional status differed across groups, whereas overweight was similar among the groups and obesity higher in urban middle-income children. Urban differences were manifested mainly as underweight, but rural children exhibited the greatest stunting and wasting. Thus, the negative effects of environment on nutritional status in children are not restricted to poor periurban and rural areas, though these are indeed unfavorable environments for growth: some urban families provide children with sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to expose them to obesity. By contrast, the more affluent urban families would appear to have greater possibilities for allowing their children to adopt a healthy life-style. Although the causes of differences in nutritional status between middle- and high-income urban groups are not clear, these determinants probably involve economic as well as educational influences., (Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)