Abstract
The scope of this article is to evaluate the structure of public daycare centers and the anthropometric profile of children in the city of Campina Grande in the State of Paraíba, Brazil. It is a cross-sectional study that involved 793 children attended in daycare centers. Information to describe the daycare centers were included (structure related to the capacity of demand and the processing power of school meals, reception system of children, location area) and the anthropometric status of the children (Height/Age, Weight/Height). The mean Z-scores for Height/Age and Weight/Height were lower among children from daycare centers with a greater number of children per employee, attended on a part time basis and located in the rural zone. The Z-scores for Height/Age were also lower among children who studied in classrooms and were housed in rest rooms with a greater density of children. Problems were detected in the structure of daycare centers with respect to the capacity of human resources to look after the children and the ways of living together (coexistence), which can make a difference in the nutritional status of the children. For its part, full-time daycare attendance and urbanization predispose children positively to growth.
Child daycare centers; Children; Anthropometry; Body height; Growth