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ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF ADOLESCENTS FROM TWO AMAZONIAN ECOSYSTEMS: VARIATIONS ACCORDING TO SEASONALITY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2009

HILTON P. SILVA ,
GLORIA V. VEIGA ,
GILBERTO KAC  and
ROSANGELA A. PEREIRA
HILTON P. SILVA
Affiliation:
National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Pará, Brazil
GLORIA V. VEIGA
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Applied Nutrition, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
GILBERTO KAC
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Applied Nutrition, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
ROSANGELA A. PEREIRA
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Applied Nutrition, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Summary

This paper aims to describe the nutritional status of Caboclo adolescents living in two areas of the Amazon Basin. Two cross-sectional studies, the first in the dry and the second in the wet season, were carried out in two Amazonian ecosystems: the forest and black water ecosystem, and the floodplain and white water ecosystem. Measurements of weight, stature, arm circumference and triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds were performed on 247 adolescents (10–19 years of age). Nutritional status was classified using body mass index according to international criteria and the prevalence of underweight and overweight was estimated. Linear mixed effects models were used with the anthropometric measurements as dependent variables and time interval, place of residence, sex, age and stature variation as independent variables. During the wet season, the prevalence of overweight among girls was higher in the forest (42%) than in the floodplain (9%). Longitudinal linear regression models showed that the arm circumference measurement was influenced both by seasonality and location, revealing that the increment between dry and wet seasons was less pronounced in the floodplain. At the time of the study, overweight already constituted a major public health concern among girls living in the forest area. In order to develop adequate public health policies for this important segment of the Amazon population further studies are necessary to investigate the role of environment and seasonality on the growth and nutritional status of adolescents.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , March 2010 , pp. 145 - 160
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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