Desnutrición crónica en población infantil de localidades con menos de 100 000 habitantes en México

Objective . To describe the undernutrition prevalence, as well as some sociodemographic characteristics associated to stunting in children under five years old, living on locali- ties with less than 100 000 inhabitants in Mexico in 2012 and 2018. Material and methods . Low weight, stunting and wasting prevalences were calculated in children under 5y according to WHO Growth Reference. A comparison of stunting by sociodemographic and diet diversity variables is presented. Multi-variated logistic models between chronic malnutrition and sociodemographic variables were calculated. Results. In 2018, 4.4% of the individuals suffered low weight, 14.9% stunting and 1.5 % wasting. Stunting was greater in indigenous households (24.5%), households from the lower socioeconomic-index tertile (17.5%), and households with moderated/severe food insecurity (15.3%). Stunting was positively associated with indigenous condition; on the other hand a highly diverse diet resulted to be a protective factor against it. Conclusions . A high prevalence of chronical malnutrition was documented associated with high poverty conditions. It is important to enforce strategies aimed to contain it, mainly in such populations with greater social deprivation.