Growth and development of 12 do 48-month-old infants in a day nursery at the outskirts of Ribeirão Preto city-SP

Abstract

This study aimed at knowing and describing the nutritional condition of 12 to 48-month-old infants, enrolled in a municipal day nursery at the outskirts of Ribeirão Preto-Sp in 2000. It is a descriptive and exploratory research. The sample was composed of 58 children enrolled in the institution. The growth and development of them were assessed by the somatometric system and the families of children presenting a percentile below 10, considered unsatisfactory, were visited. Results obtained showed that 53.4% of the children were below P10, 48.3% of those being 24 months old. On the other hand, 12% of the children were above P90, 71.4% of those being 36 months old. The remnant 34.4% of them presented normal percentiles. All of them came from poor families, with monthly wages from 2 to 3 minimum wages, schooling between incomplete primary and secondary levels, most of them jobless. Data points out to the need of implementing a health educational program intended for both the families and the day nursery team. KEYWORDS: infant’s growth and development, day nursery, family.