OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the nutritional status of children with 6 to 24 months of age assisted by the public health service in the city of Santos, Brazil, and its relation with socioeconomic status, health and nutritional conditions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 95 children who attended regular pediatric visits in 5 units of public primary health centers. Weight and height were measured and parents were requested to answer a questionnaire with health, nutrition and socioeconomic information of their children. Nutritional status was assessed by the NCHS (1977), CDC (2000) and WHO (2006) child growth standard curves. Weight for age, height for age and weight for height Z scores were calculated. Values of the these indices below -2.0 Z score defined malnutrition and values of weight for height above +2.0 Z score defined overweight. RESULTS: The frequency of malnutrition according to the different indices were: weight for age 4.2%, 9.5% and 3.2%; height for age 2.1%, 2.1% and 4.2%, and weight for age 2.1%, 4.2% and 1.0%, respectively, according to the NCHS (1977), CDC (2000) and WHO (2006) reference curves. Overweight was found in 4.2%, 3.2% and 5.3% by the NCHS (1977), CDC (2000) and WHO (2006) reference curves, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was a low frequency of malnutrition. The WHO curve detected less patients with nutritional deficits than the other NCHS (1977) and CDC (2000) curves.
infant; nutritional status; primary health care; growth
