Malnutrition disparities in
Guatemala are analyzed in study
Guatemala City, October 11, 2019
INCAP researchers conducted a study on socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in all forms of malnutrition in Guatemala.
A team from the INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases -CIIPEC- carried out a study that aimed to analyze economic, educational and ethnic disparities in all forms of malnutrition in vulnerable populations, children under 5 years of age, adolescents (11-19 years) and women of reproductive age (20-49 years).
To meet the objective, data from the National Maternal and Child Health Survey (ENSMI) of 2014-15 and the criteria defined by the World Health Organization –WHO- were used to calculate the indicators of underweight, short stature, overweight and obesity in the groups mentioned above. The prevalence was calculated at the national level (95% Confidence Intervals) and the prevalence stratified by the level of household wealth, educational level (of the mother in the case of children and adolescents) and by ethnicity (Ladino and indigenous), and whether the prevalence distributions differed between groups.
It was found that short stature affects the poorest, with a lower educational level and of indigenous ethnicity, twice as much as people with higher purchasing power, higher education and non-indigenous people in all vulnerable groups.
On the other hand, overweight and obesity affect to a greater extent the groups with higher income, higher level of education, and non-indigenous groups in all vulnerable groups.
The results suggest that Guatemala is in the first stage of the obesity transition, and that it could be close to reaching the second stage since the prevalence of obesity in women of reproductive age is higher than 20%, but in children it is maintains close to 5%.
This study demonstrates the socioeconomic and ethnic disparities that exist in all forms of malnutrition and the urgent need to implement equitable intersectoral interventions to address all forms of malnutrition.
Source:
Mazariegos, M., Kroker-Lobos, M., & Ramírez-Zea, M. (n.d.). Socio-economic and ethnic disparities of malnutrition in all its forms in Guatemala. Public Health Nutrition, 1-9. doi:10.1017/S1368980019002738
