Estado nutricional en escolares indígenas y afrodescendientes del departamento del Valle del Cauca – Colombia

Background: Nutritional status is a determining factor in human health. There are more vulnerable populations due to ethnic and territorial condition. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the nutritional status of indigenous and Afro-descendant schoolchildren from the department of Valle del Cauca - Colombia. Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out on 4,537 Afro-Colombian schoolchildren and 292 indigenous schoolchildren between the ages of 5 and 18, whose nutritional status was determined using WHO standards. Results: In the indigenous and Afro-Colombian ethnic groups, 49.7% and 48.9%, respectively, are female. the ethnic schoolchildren of the Valle del Cauca the delay of short stature for the age is of 1.5% and 11.6% for the afrocolombianos and indigenous respectively. Excess weight is 35% in Afro-Colombians and 22.2% in indigenous people. Finding that indigenous schoolchildren are more affected by the deficit. In contrast, Afro-Colombians are more affected by excess weight. Conclusions: The ethnic school populations of Valle del Cauca, present malnutrition, are being located at the different ends of the curve: indigenous people with delayed height and Afro-Colombians with overweight and obesity.