Objective:

to determine the prevalence of malnutrition by excess and deficiency in children under 17 in the department of Antioquia by subregions and municipalities.

Methodology:

a cross-sectional study with secondary data sources based on the information retrieved from a population-based study in the department of Antioquia. The indicators of malnutrition by excess and deficiency were calculated based on weight-for-height, body mass index (BMI) and height-for-age. In addition, the joint association of person and place variables was explored through a multinomial regression for the indicators mentioned.

Results and discussion

:

the risk of malnutrition by excess according to weight-for-height values was 23%, and the deficiency 7.6%; according to BMI values, the risk of malnutrition by excess was 25.6% and the deficiency 17.7%. The western subregion had the highest risk of malnutrition by deficiency (37%); in this area, Peque was the municipality with the highest prevalence (60.4%). In contrast, the Aburrá Valley was the subregion with the highest values for malnutrition by excess, where the municipality of Titiribí stood out with 46.3%. Malnutrition was more prevalent among male children under 17 living in urban areas, with unhealthy diets and families with incomes below the current legal minimum wage for the year 2014.

Conclusions

:

it is necessary for public health to prioritize nutrition interventions targeting children under 17 in the municipalities of the western and Valle Aburrá subregions, especially at Peque and Titiribí, where malnutrition by deficit and excess was greater.

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