Parent's social status and children's nutrition influence on the university entrance of young adults in the last two decades in Brazil.

Introduction: The analysis of social indicators and health status of parents and children is a preferred way to estimate the potential for social mobility in different societies or different periods in the same society.

Objective: To analyze the evolution of educational and nutritional status of the Brazilian families by an intergenerational approach.

Methods: A representative sample of the Brazilian population, consisting of parents (35 to 65 years old) and young adults (20 to 24 years old) obtained from three national surveys NHNS (1989), HBS (2003 and 2009). We performed a descriptive analysis and, for the sons, we calculated the probability of starting college using the multilevel logistic regression with random intercept model.

Results: The advance of the nutritional status of young people was statistically higher than to their parents (p < 0.005). Social conditions experienced in childhood and family status had great influence on their later school success.

Conclusion: These data indicate improvements in social status controlled by the nutritional status, initiated in the period of 1989-2003. Although inequality persists in the country, the family's influence declined in the period 2003-2009.