PREVALENCIA DE DESNUTRICIÓN ASOCIADA A ALIMENTACIÓN COMPLEMENTARIA EN NIÑOS DE 6 A 23 MESES ATENDIDOS EN CONSULTA EXTERNA PEDIÁTRICA. HOSPITAL BÁSICO PELILEO 2016

Abstract

In Ecuador, growth retardation in children from 6 to 23 months is multifactorial, complementary feeding is a very important factor. In the Pelileo Canton place of research, child malnutrition in this age group was 47.25%. In order to know if the high infant malnutrition in this canton is the result of inadequate complementary feeding, a quantitative, cross-sectional analytical observational study was conducted in which 50 children attended at the Outpatient Consultation of Pediatrics of the Basic Hospital of Pelileo the assessment of nutritional status was carried out using anthropometric indicators. WHO indicators were used to evaluate the feeding practices of the infant and young child. The objective of the study was to determine the existence of the association between inadequate complementary feeding and malnutrition in children from 6 to 23 months. When evaluating the nutritional status, it was observed that 72% of the children adjusted their low weight to a low length, so that they presented 78% of normality, 88% of the children presented a low size. The inadequate complementary feeding was evidenced in 44% of the children. No association could be found between the type of complementary feeding and the affectation of the nutritional status (P> 0.05). According to these data it is necessary to carry out studies to identify other possible causes of malnutrition in the child population of the Pelileo Canton.