Nutritional situation between ecuadorian and who percentile in 12-year-old adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: This is the collection of information on studies that reflect the nutritional situation in Ecuador, and comparisons between ecuadorian percentiles and those suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). Studies report that this type of comparison differs from the realities of a country because it has different geographical location and its cultural features, which differ ancestrally, there are divergences between food, lifestyles, socioeconomic bases, anthropometric traits and other variables that influence and that have forced to create their own standards of comparisons. Objective: To describe the nutritional situation between the Ecuadorian and WHO percentiles in 12- year-old adolescents Materials and methods: It is of the qualitative, descriptive type, where relevant information linked to the descriptor in study is collected, so the modality is documentary and descriptive, transversal and observational because relevant information is observed at the moment and procedures are described and indicated as models for another research. Results: Ecuador as a Latin American country reflects a food and nutritional situation with ample productive potential, great opportunities and socioeconomic capacities, necessary to respond to the nutritional demands of its population. However, information on the nutritional status of the child population reflects the development of the country, with a significant reduction in the prevalence of growth retardation, which is much more prevalent in indigenous groups, due to social problems: infant mortality, poverty, indigence and illiteracy. Conclusions: Estimating values of malnutrition and overweight through comparisons by the international percentiles (WHO) and those of the United States do not reflect the reality of a population that differs in everything with that of these comparative standards. That is why the effort of studies to create their own national standards is laudable and shows the realities of a population.