Villa IAPI is a poor neighborhood of about 5,000 inhabitants in the overpopulated conurbano bonaerense at the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires. Most of the adult male residents are construction workers; the rest are temporary workers, underemployed, or unemployed. The inhabitants of Villa IAPI suffer the effects of many adverse socio-economic conditions, including poor nutrition, deficient sanitation, and inadequate medical care. Seven anthropometric variables were measured on 765 children from 6 to 14 years old to test for the presence of an altered pattern of sexual dimorphism. It was found that there were practically no sex differences in standing height and upper-arm muscle circumference. In some age groups, there was a weak but significant sexual dimorphism in body weight and sitting height. The greatest and most persistent dimorphism was found in head circumference, and in triceps and subscapular skinfolds. In all except two age groups, head circumference in males was significantly greater than in females. The other dimorphic variables (body weight, sitting height, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds) showed the opposite relationship. Essentially, females showed increments in subcutaneous fat, while reduced growth in muscle and bone was evident in males. The hypothesis of "better female canalization" can explain the altered dimorphic pattern found in the malnourished Villa IAPI population.

No abstract

RESUMENEl objetivo fue comparar el patrón alimentario en poblaciones en dos contextos socioculturales diferentes, con énfasis en el aporte de vitamina A de la leche materna y los alimentos complementarios consumidos con mayor frecuencia. Se realizaron encuestas de alimentación del niño al 6º mes a madres lactantes en Jujuy (n= 44) y en Buenos Aires (n= 95). El retinol lácteo se determinó por cromatografía líquida; en los alimentos, se estimaron valor calórico y vitamina A. En Jujuy y Buenos Aires, el 75,6% y el 64,5% de los lactantes recibían alimentos complementarios al 6º mes; más del 50% los habían incorporado antes. El retinol lácteo varió entre 0,02 y 1,19 µg/mL y 0,09 y 1,94 µg/mL para Jujuy y Buenos Aires. Se observaron valores < 0,30 µg/mL, indicativos de déficit, en 67,4% y 26,1% de leches, respectivamente. Los alimentos habituales aportarían suficiente vitamina A en Buenos Aires e insuficiente en Jujuy. Palabras clave: lactancia materna, vitamina A, patrones alimentarios.