Nutritional Assessment of Preschool Children Inhabiting at High Geographical Altitude in the Antofagasta de la Sierra Department, Catamarca, Argentina

Authors

  • Rosario Elizabeth Pacheco Agüero "Instituto Regional de Estudios Socioculturales (IRES-UNCA-CONICET), Catamarca, Argentina" & "Centro de Estudios de Antropología Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca (CEABi-FACEN-UNCA), Catamarca, Argentina"
  • Franco Exequiel Araya Centro de Estudios de Antropología Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca (CEABi-FACEN-UNCA), Catamarca, Argentina
  • Delia Beatriz Lomaglio "Instituto Regional de Estudios Socioculturales (IRES-UNCA-CONICET), Catamarca, Argentina" & "Centro de Estudios de Antropología Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca (CEABi-FACEN-UNCA), Catamarca, Argentina"

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12974/2311-8687.2023.11.10

Keywords:

Pediatric age, Body composition, Stunting, Malnutrition, South America

Abstract

The growth and development of children are profoundly influenced by dietary habits, lifestyles, and environmental factors, which begin to shape early in ontogeny. In high-altitude populations, geographical stressors, such as permanent hypoxia, add further complexity and cannot be modified by human intervention. This study aimed to describe the nutritional status of preschoolers in a high-altitude area of northwestern Argentina.

A cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out in 59 children aged 4 and 5 years from the towns of El Peñón and Antofagasta de la Sierra (3320 masl), Antofagasta de la Sierra department, Catamarca, Argentina. Anthropometric measurements, including weight (W), height (H), waist circumference, mid-upper arm circumference, and tricipital (T) and subscapular (S) skinfolds. Various indices and indicators, such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), subscapular tricipital index (STI), and upper arm fat (UFA) and muscle area (UMA), were calculated. Additionally, the ratios of W/H, H/A (H for age), and BMI/A (BMI for age) were determined. Abdominal obesity was assessed using WHtR, and fat distribution was analyzed using STI. Protein and caloric reserves were estimated based on UMA and UFA, respectively.

The study revealed a low prevalence of low weight (3.7%) but a high prevalence of overweight (20.3%) and obesity (3.4%) among the evaluated preschool children. Notably, 30.0% of overweight children and 16.0% of normal weight children exhibited centralized fat distribution. Abdominal obesity was observed in 90.0% of overweight children and 42.2% of normal weight children. Stunting was also observed in 8.5% of the individuals. Additionally, a considerable prevalence of low caloric and protein reserves was identified.

These findings confirm the coexistence of deficit and excess malnutrition states, indicating a double burden of malnutrition, among the preschoolers of Antofagasta de la Sierra. Moreover, the study highlights the accumulation and distribution of abdominal and centralized fat as significant concerns in this population.

References

Figueroa Pedraza D. Nutritional status as a factor and a result of nutritional and food security and their representations in Brazil. Rev salud pública. 2004; 6(2): 140-55.

Coromoto Nava M, Pérez A, Herrera H, Hernández R. Anthropometric nutritional assessment, dietary habits and physical activity in preschool children. Rev Chil Nutr. 2011; 38(3): 301-12.

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-75182011000300006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-75182011000300006

Frisancho AR, Baker TP. Altitude and growth: a study of patterns of physical growth of a high-altitude Peruvian Quechua population. Am J Phys Anthrop. 1970; 279-92.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330320217 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330320217

Moreno Romero S, Lomaglio DB, Colome JJ, Alba JA, Lejtman N, Dipierri JE, et al. Condición nutricional en la puna argentina/Nutritional condition in the argentinian puna. Observatorio medioambiental. 2005; 8: 111.

Cossio-Bolaños M, de Arruda M, Núñez Álvarez V, Lancho Alonso J. Effects of altitude on physical growth in children and adolescents. Rev Andal Med Deporte. 2011; 4(2): 71-6.

Moreno Romero S, Marrodán Serrano M, Dipierri J. Child weight at birth in highland ecosistems. The case at Susques, Northwestern Argentina. Observatorio medioambiental. 2003; 6: 161-76.

Moreno Romero S, Marrodán Serrano MD, Bejarano I, Dipierri J. Crecimiento longitudinal en poblaciones de altura andinas. ¿Existe un patrón propio de estos ecosistemas? Observatorio medioambiental. 2006; (9): 155-69.

Verón JA, Dipierri JE, Alfaro EL, Lomaglio DB. Aislamiento y consanguinidad en la Puna Catamarqueña. In: X Jornadas Argentinas de Estudios de Población. Asociación de Estudios de Población de la Argentina; 2009. https: //www.aacademica.org/000-058/77

Instituto Nacional de Asuntos Indígenas. https: //www.argentina.gob.ar/derechoshumanos/inai

Lomaglio DB. Nutrition transition and the impact on growth and body composition in northwestern Argentina (NOA). Nutr clín diet hosp. 2012; 32(3): 30-5.

Menecier N, Lomaglio DB. La cocina de la puna de Catamarca, Argentina. In: Aproximaciones a la pluralidad alimentaria Iberoamericana. Rafael Moreno Rojas Jesús Román Martínez Álvarez Antonio Villarino Marín Alicia Moreno Ortega. Madird, España: Punto Didot; 2020. p. 201-17.

Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos - Censo 2010. https: //www.indec.gob.ar/indec/web/Nivel4-CensoProvincia-999-999-10-028-2010

Stewart A, Marfell-Jones M. International Standards For Anthropometric Assessment. Glasgow, U.K: ISAK; 2011.

Frisancho A. Anthropometric standars for the assessment of growth and nutritional status. University of Michigan Press; 1990. 189 p.

https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12198 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12198

World Health Organization. WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Child Growth Standards: length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weightfor-length, weight-for-age and body mass index-for-age: methods and development. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2006. 312 p. https: //www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/bmi_for_age/en/

Oyhenart E, Torres MF, Garraza M, Cesani MF, Navazo B, Castro LE, et al. Reference percentiles for mid-upper arm circumference, upper arm muscle and fat areas in the Argentine child and adolescent population (4-14 years old). Archivos Argentinos de Pediatría. 2019; 117(4): 347-55.

https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2019.eng.e347 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2019.eng.e347

Naciones Unidas. Declaración universal de los derechos humanos, 10 de diciembre de 1948. https: //www.un.org/es/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Tribunal Internacional de Nüremberg. Código de Nüremberg. 1947. https: //e-legis-ar.msal.gov.ar/htdocs/legisalud/-migration/html/6718.html

World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. JAMA. 2013; 310(20): 2191-4.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053

Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina. Ley N°25.326. 2000. https: //www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/7209468/20001102?busqueda=1

Miranda Durán M, Aro-Soria G, Kopp Valdivia C, Coronel-Aguilar S, Loza-Mendizabal G, Mauricio-Macuri A, et al. Double burden of malnutrition in boliovian preschool, school age children and adolescents living at high altitudes, Municipality of La Paz. Cuadernos 2021; 62(2): 15-25.

Diaz Granda R, Huiracocha L. Evaluación antropométrica de los preescolares de la zona urbana en Cuenca, Ecuador. Maskana 2015; 6(2); 135-146.

https://doi.org/10.18537/mskn.06.02.10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18537/mskn.06.02.10

Fernandez Palacios L, Barrientos Augustinus E, Raudales Urquía C, Frontela Saseta C, Ros Berruezo G. Degree of malnutrition and its relationship with major structural and eating factors in Honduran preschool population. Prevalence of breastfeeding Nutrición Hospitalaria. 2017; 34(3): 639-46.

https://doi.org/10.20960/nh.1332 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20960/nh.1332

Juma Paspuel ED. Estado nutricional y factores de riesgo de desnutrición en preescolares que acuden a consulta en el centro de salud San Francisco, Tulcán. [Ibarra, Ecuador]; 2022.

Romaguera D, Samman N, Farfán N, Lobo M, Pons A, Tur J. Nutritional status of the Andean population of Puna and Quebrada of Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina. Public Health Nutrition. 2007; 11(6): 606-15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007001061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007001061

San Martin R, Brito J, Siques P, león-Velarde F. Obesity as a Conditioning Factor for High-Altitude Diseases. Obes Facts. 2017; 3: 363-72. https://doi.org/10.1159/000477461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000477461

Secretaría de Gobierno de Salud, Ministerio de Salud y Desarrollo Social. 2° Encuesta Nacional de Nutrición y Salud (ENNyS 2). 2019 [cited 2021 Sep 7]. https: //fagran.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Encuesta-nacional-de-nutricion-y-salud.pdf

Lomaglio D, Pacheco Agüero R. Effects of the nutrition transition in Argentinean children and adolescents: a narrative review of overweight and obesity prevalence between 2000 and 2021. J Public Health Emerg. 2022; 6(37). https://doi.org/10.21037/jphe-22-36 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21037/jphe-22-36

Tumas N, Rodríguez Junyent C, Aballay LR, Scruzzi GF, Pou SA. Nutrition transition profiles and obesity burden in Argentina. Public Health Nutr. 2019 Aug; 22(12): 2237-47. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019000429 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019000429

Damman S, Barth Elide W, Kuhnlein H. Indigenous peoples' nutrition transition in a right to food perspective. Food Policy. 2008; 33(2): 135-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2007.08.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2007.08.002

Popkin BM. Will China's nutrition transition overwhelm its health care system and slow economic growth? Health affairs. 2008; 4(27): 1064-76. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.27.4.1064 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.27.4.1064

Mesa MS, Marrodán MD, Moreno-Romero S, Viera-Peixoto A, García González M, López Ejeda N, et al. Nutrición y globalización: diversidad y calidad de la dieta en una población del Noroeste de Argentina (NOA). In: Biodiversidad humana y evolución. Barcelona, Turbón Borrega D, Fañanás SAura L, Rissech Badalló C, Rosa de la Cruz A (eds.): Sociedad Española de Antropología Física y Universidad de Barcelona, España 2012; 109-11.

Villagra C, Lomaglio D, Dip N. Eating habits and physical activity in Antofagasta de la Sierra (3223 masl), Catamarca, Northwestern Argentina. Cuadernos de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales-Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. 2014; (46): 105-17.

Lomaglio DB, Dip N, Kriscautzky N, Bejarano I, Alfaro E, Dipierri JE, et al. Heigth components in school-children at high altitude in Northwest Argentine. In: Diversidad Humana y Antropología Aplicada. Gutierrez-Redomero E, Sanchez Andrés A, Galera Olmo V (eds.): Universidad de Alcalá, España 2010; 189-98.

ENNyS. Encuesta nacional de nutrición y salud. Documento de resultados. Ministerio de Salud, Presidencia de la Nación, Argentina; 2007. https: //bancos.salud.gob.ar/recurso/encuesta-nacional-de-nutricion-y-salud-documento-de-resultados-2007

Beall CM. Andean, Tibetan, and Ethiopian patterns of adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 2006; 1(46): 18-24. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icj004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icj004

Kapoor S, Kapoor AK. Body structre and respiratory efficiency among high altitude Himalayan population. collegium antropologicum. 2005; 1(29): 37-43.

Fazzio L, Toloza C, Pignatta A, Letjman R, Ciancaglini MA. "Urku Miski" Study: Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome in Antofagasta de la Sierra, population of Catamarca at 3440 meters above sea level. Revista de la Sociedad Argentina de diabetes, 2011; (45): 69-77.

Menecier N, Lomaglio DB. Hypertension, over weight and abdominal obesity in adult women from the Puna of Catamarca, Argentina. Rev Arg Antrop Biol. 2021 Jul 2; 23(2): 040. https://doi.org/10.24215/18536387e040 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24215/18536387e040

Hirschler V, Molinari C, González C, Maccallini G, Castano L. Prevalence of hypertension in argentinean indigenous children living at high altitudes versus US children. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2018; 40. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641963.2018.1431258 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10641963.2018.1431258

Hirschler V, Gonzalez C, Molinari C, Velez H, Nordera M, Suarez R, et al. Blood pressure level increase with altitude in three argentinean indigenous communities. AIMS Public Health. 2019; 4(6): 370-9. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2019.4.370 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2019.4.370

Hirschler V, Gonzalez C, Maccallini G, Hidalgo M, Molinari C, San Antonio de los Cobres Study Group Collaborators. Comparison Between HDL-C Levels in Argentine Indigenous Children Living at High Altitudes and U.S. Children. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2016; 18(4): 233-9. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2015.0357 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2015.0357

Solís Soto MT, Patiño A, Radon K. Nutritional Status, Food and Sedentary Patterns in School-Age Children. Urban and Rural Areas of Oropeza Province in Chuquisaca- Bolivia, 2011. Adastra. 2014; 5(1): 8-12.

Downloads

Published

2023-07-14

How to Cite

Pacheco Agüero, R. E. ., Araya, F. E. ., & Lomaglio, D. B. . (2023). Nutritional Assessment of Preschool Children Inhabiting at High Geographical Altitude in the Antofagasta de la Sierra Department, Catamarca, Argentina. International Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 11, 58–64. https://doi.org/10.12974/2311-8687.2023.11.10

Issue

Section

Articles