Nutritional Improvement of Poor Urban Preschool Children

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Abstract
The nutritional status of preschool children from 1,219 families living in an urban poverty area was surveyed in 1983 and these results were compared with findings from a similar survey of the same community done in 1977. A second comparison was made of children whose families participated in a commodity supplementary food program and those whose families did not participate. Results of the 1983 survey indicated improvements in median serum levels of vitamins A and C, hemoglobin, and red blood cell volume. Nevertheless, 9% to 18% of the children had low or deficient levels of vitamins A, C, B1, and B2, hemoglobin, serum iron, and transferrin saturation. Also a greater number of the preschoolers were categorized as thin. Annual incomes for families had significantly decreased from 1977 when the median value for food recipients was $3,078 to a median of $1,848 in 1983. Considering the decrease in other resources, federal food assistance programs seem to be the only identifiable factor contributing to the improvement in nutritional status over 1977. (JAMA1985;253:3269-3272)

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