Factores asociados a la desnutrición aguda en el departamento del Valle del Cauca entre los años 2016 y 2019

The first years of life are dynamic compared to the entire growth process, which is characterized by its vulnerability to social, economic and environmental conditions, which makes it necessary to have an adequate nutritional status. The objective of the present research consisted of analyzing the factors associated with acute malnutrition in children under five years of age in Valle del Cauca between 2016 and 2019. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with correlational analysis in light of the social determinants of health. The population consisted of 2,237 children registered in the basic and complementary database of the epidemiological record of event 113 of the Public Health Surveillance. The information related to weight, 78,6% had normal weight at birth, 88% were enrolled in the Growth and Development Program and most of them lived in the area of the municipal capital. The mothers or caregivers had 56,73% secondary schooling. Thus, in Valle del Cauca, the presence of acute malnutrition is related to the length of breastfeeding, enrollment in the Growth and Development Program, age of the child, ethnicity, health regime, educational level of the mother and area of residence. It was concluded that the most affected by malnutrition were males (55.4%) and aged between six and 12 months (62%).