Nutritional status of indigenous children aged up to six years in the Embera-Katio Indian reserve in Tierralta, Cordoba, Colombia

Knowledge of the nutritional state of the children is an valuable indicator of the general state of development in an entire population. The prevalence of malnutrition was determined in Embera-Katio's indigenous children, aged 0-6 years, and associated factors associated with malnutrition were identified. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Resguardo Embera-Katío, in Tierralta in the Province of Cordoba, located in northern Colombia. The weight, height and cephalic perimeter was assessed for each of 272 children under six years of age. Nutritional paramterers were surveyed in 194 homes; fecal samples of 172 children were examined for evidence of intestinal parasites. Prevalence of moderate and severe chronic malnutrition was found in 63.6% of the children's; 8.8% were categorized with slight and moderate acute malnutrition. Chronic malnutrition was associated with age increase (p=0.005) and was greater in males than in females (89.9% versus 80.4%; p=0.028). Chronic malnutrition was greater in children with acute respiratory infection, acute diarrheas, and in homes with three or more children below the age of five. In 74% of the children, the cephalic perimeter was below the fifth percentile. After weaning, the children were fed a basic diet of rice and corn (80.4%) and plantain (80.9%). Only 28.9% ate meat, 4.6% eggs, 4.1% milk and 1.5% fruits and vegetables. The prevalence of intestinal parasitism was 78.1%. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition in the Embera-Katio children was high, reflecting the adverse nutritional and economic conditions in which they live.