Nutritional status and hemoglobin levels in children under five years of age of the health district of the "Gustavo Aldereguia Lima" Polyclinic

• Main Authors: Yelín Francis Pérez-Avila, Oleidis Francisca Pérez-González, Alicia María Yabor-Palomo, Pilar Laborí-Quesada, Lilisbeth de la Caridad Benítez-Rojas
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Las Tunas 2019-07-01
• Series: Revista Electrónica Dr. Zoilo E. Marinello Vidaurreta
• Subjects: child, preschool; nutritional status; anemia, iron-deficiency
• Online Access: http://revzoilomarinello.sld.cu/index.php/zmv/article/view/1870

<p><strong>Background</strong>: iron-deficiency anemia is a nutritional problem of great magnitude, that especially affects children under five years of age.</p><p><strong>Objective</strong>: to assess the nutritional status and hemoglobin levels in children younger than five years of age belonging to the health district of the "Gustavo Aldereguía Lima" University Polyclinic, from January through December 2018.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with children younger than five years of age of the aforementioned health district and during the time herein declared. The sample was made up of 105 children, who were applied the variables weight, height and hemoglobin determination. To process the information descriptive statistics was used, expressing the values in frequencies and percentages.</p><p><strong>Results</strong>: 22 % of the children presented anemia (16,2 % moderate and 5,8 % mild). In the 23 cases the diagnosis was iron-deficiency anemia. 39,05 % of all the children were thin and 50,48 % had a normal weight. Only about 10 % of the children were obese and overweight. 81,13 % of the children with normal weight according to height presented normal values in their hemoglobin levels. 17 % of the cases of anemia were moderate and only 2 % were mild.</p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: nutritional status and hemoglobin levels were described in the sample of children included in the study.</p>