[Nutritional status of school children in poverty conditions from urban and rural areas. Metropolitan region. Chile. 1986-1987].

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional status of poor children from urban and rural areas and to quantify the impact of socioeconomic, sociocultural and family variables on nutritional status. Weight/age, height/age, weight/height and head circumference percentages were measured in a representative sample of 4509 school children, 39% belonging to a low socioeconomic status and living in the Metropolitan region, chosen according to grade, type of school, sex and geographic area. Children coming from rural areas had significantly higher percentages of undernutrition than children from urban areas according to weight/age (47 vs 34%, and weight/height (7.7 vs 4.6%); likewise they had a higher proportion of height/age ratios below 90% (10.3 vs 5.2%). Head circumference was below 100% in 77 and 65% of rural and urban children. Brachial anthropometric variables were also lower in rural children. The number of siblings and family size were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for weight/age and height/age variations. Mother's instruction in urban areas and crowding, family alcoholism and mother's instruction in rural areas, were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for head circumference variation. It is concluded that the significant relationship found between socioeconomic, sociocultural and family variables ad nutritional status is relevant, considering that the sample was homogeneous in each geographic area.