Evaluation of athropometric and dietary parameters of children admitted in a public hospital.

Abstract

Introduction: Proper nutrition during childhood continues to be an important challenge within the health team, since insufficient food intake can cause irreversible nutritional imbalances in health and continue into adulthood.

Objective: To evaluate the anthropometric and dietary parameters of children hospitalized in a Public Hospital.

Materials and methods: A descriptive and cross study was carried out. It included 262 boys and girls between the ages of 1 to 14 years, from the pediatric area of ​​the Abel Gilbert Pontón Hospital in the city of Guayaquil-Ecuador during the years 2018 - 2019. For the collection of information, the food consumption frequency questionnaire and 24-hour recall were used. Finally, anthropometric measurements of weight and height were taken.

Results: The research sample consisted of 151 men and 111 women who represented 57.6% and 42.4% respectively. Age ranged from 1.0 to 14.4 years. The highest percentage of those investigated presented a normal nutritional status according to the indexes weight/age, height/age/ and BMI/age. Regarding food intake, a deficit in the consumption of calories, macronutrients and micronutrients was observed during the hospital stay. The eating habits of those investigated reflected an insufficient consumption of meat and derivatives (63.7%). In relation to dairy products (42.4%), vegetables (50%) and fruits (58.4%) were normal. Lastly, cereals (87.8%), fast foods (45.4%), snacks (88.2%) and soft drinks (85.5%) are eaten in excess within the usual diet when children find at home.

Conclusions: Children and teenagers under normal conditions and even more in situations of stress such as hospitalization, should receive sufficient amounts of nutrients to cover their nutritional needs, avoiding repercussions on their health status, especially on body composition.