The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake of energy, vitamin A, zinc and protein, as well as food habits of 54, 238 and 78 pre-school children of both sexes, 3 to 6 years old, (wide hange of subsample of inquiry including nutritional), in the capitals of Roraima (Boa Vista),Amazonas (Manaus) and Rondônia (Porto Velho), respectively. Dietary assessments were performed with the parents or someone responsible for the child, using the 24 hour recall and food frequency questionnaire methods. Our results showed that bread, crackers and cookies were the most consumed foods (98,3%), followed by sugar (95,1%), rice (92,4%), vegetable oil (86,0), manioc flour (77,4%), tomato (70,1%) and coffee (69,5%).The intake of animal products was responsible for almost 2/3 of the total intake of vitamin A. The pattern of vitamin A sources consumption among the three cities was similar. Protein was the only nutrient in which the intake exceeded the recommendation, whereas zinc and energy intake were inadequate. Additionally, the consumption of vitamin A was, respectively, 84,0%, 68,4% and 63,8% in Boa Vista, Manaus and Porto Velho, of the recommended values. A monotonous and limited dietary pattern was observed, with low consumption of preformed vitamin A, vegetables and typical regional Amazonian fruits that are sources of carotenoids with vitamin A activity, such as buriti, tucumã, pupunha and mango, all of them seasonal fruits, that were not available during the application of the questionnaire.
Vitamin A; Dietary assessment; Vitamin A deficiency