[Nutritional status, iron, copper, and zinc in school children of shantytowns of Sao Paulo].

Objective: To assess the anthropometry, body composition and iron, copper and zinc nutritional status, according to gender, of institutionalized children and adolescents living in two shantytowns in the city of Sao Paulo.

Methods: A cross sectional study using weight, height, arm circumference, skinfolds, electrical bioimpedance, Z scores for the relationships: height to age, body mass index, middle-upper arm circumference, muscle area of the arm and fat area of the arm was carried out; the body fat and lean mass percentages were analyzed according to the formulas proposed by Siri and Slaughter. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron ferritin, copper and zinc were determined.

Results: Body weight, middle-upper arm circumference, triceps and subescapular skinfolds, electric resistance, Z scores of the arm area, muscle area of the arm, and body fat percentage of girls were higher in relation to boys. Low stature was found in 8% of the girls and in 5.6% of the boys, without differences according to gender. There was a lower prevalence of malnutrition (2% of the girls and 5.6% of the boys), than of overweight and obesity (30% and 11.2%, respectively). Anemia was observed in 24.4% and iron deficiency in 10.5% of the schoolchildren with or without anemia. Values were below the lower limit of the reference standard for serum copper and zinc, respectively, for 3 and 7 individuals.

Conclusion: In the studied population, institutionalized and of low social economic level, a process of nutritional transition and high prevalence of anemia takes place which does not result from an interaction of iron, copper and zinc.