This paper compares the results of two nationally representative nutritional surveys carried out in Brazil: the "Estudo Nacional de Despesa Familiar (ENDEF)" (National Survey on Household Expenses), conducted in 1974-77, and the "Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde e Nutrição (PNSN)" (National Survey on Health and Nutrition), conducted in 1989. The findings point to a reduction of more than 60% in the prevalence of undernutrition, as evaluated by anthropometric parameters. The results from regional surveys and the trends in infant mortality throughout the 1970s and 1980s are consistent with the improvements in nutritional status. Less striking reductions in undernutrition rates were observed in certain regions of the country (e.g., the North and Northeast), where prevalences were higher in the 1970s, resulting in a widening of regional differences. The improvements in child nutrition are attributed to moderate increases in family income, particularly in the 1970s, and to the expansion of sanitation, public health, and educational services, as well as food supplementation programs, which were also favored by a fall in fertility levels. The authors call attention to the fact that the lack of clear-cut indications of economic recovery in Brazil recently, coupled wih cuts in government budgets for social services and the persistence of inequality in income distribution, among other factors, make it unlikely that improvements in nutritional status, as observed in the 1970, will take place in the upcoming years.
Anthropometry; Nutritional Status; Child Nutrition; Quality of Life; Socioeconomic Factors
