Table 1. Trends in the prevalence of underweight and stunting in 13 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, by survey year (1966–2008).
| Country | Year | na | Prevalence |
Survey interval | Average yearly change in prevalence |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight |
Stunting |
Underweight |
Stunting |
||||
| % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | PP | PP | ||||
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 1989 | 2 681 | 9.0 (7.7 to 10.4) | 42.1 (39.7 to 44.4) | – | – | – |
| 1994 | 3 008 | 12.6 (11.3 to 13.9)b | 34.6 (32.7 to 36.4)b | 1989–94 | 0.88 | −1.50 | |
| 1998 | 6 420 | 6.0 (5.4 to 6.7)b | 33.5 (32.2 to 34.8) | 1994–98 | −1.64 | −0.27 | |
| 2003 | 9 925 | 6.0 (5.4 to 6.7) | 32.6 (31.5 to 33.8) | 1998–03 | 0.00 | −0.17 | |
| 2008c | 8 422 | 4.1 (4.3 to 4.3)b | 26.8 (26.8 to 27.4)b | 2003–08 | −0.38 | −1.17 | |
| Overall | −0.26 | −0.80 | |||||
| Brazild | 1989 | 1 190 | 10.0 (8.2 to 11.7) | 19.9 (17.8–21.9) | – | – | – |
| 1996 | 4 364 | 4.7 (4.0 to 5.4)b | 13.5 (12.1–14.8)b | 1989–96 | −0.76 | −0.99 | |
| 2007 | 4 034 | 2.2 (NA) | 6.8 (5.4 to 8.3)b | 1996–06 | −0.23 | −0.57 | |
| Overall | −0.39 | −0.66 | |||||
| Colombia | 1986 | 1 335 | 8.7 (7.0 to 10.2) | 26.1 (23.7 to 28.6) | – | – | – |
| 1995 | 4 561 | 6.5 (5.7 to 7.2)b | 19.9 (18.7 to 21.1)b | 1986–95 | −0.24 | −0.69 | |
| 2000 | 4 239 | 5.0 (4.3 to 5.7)b | 18.3 (17.1 to 19.6)b | 1995–00 | −0.30 | −0.31 | |
| 2005 | 14 007 | 5.2 (4.7 to 5.6) | 16.3 (15.5 to 17.0)b | 2000–05 | 0.04 | −0.41 | |
| Overall | −0.18 | −0.52 | |||||
| Costa Rica | 1982e | 1 831 | 4.3 (NA) | 8.5 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1996e | 662 | 2.1 (NA) | 7.6 (NA) | 1982–96 | −0.16 | −0.06 | |
| 2008–09 | 351 | 1.1 (NA) | 5.6 (NA) | 1996–08 | −0.08 | −0.17 | |
| Overall | −0.12 | −0.11 | |||||
| Dominican Republic | 1986 | 1 972 | 9.2 (7.8 to 10.6) | 22.3 (20.3 to 24.4) | – | – | – |
| 1991 | 3 284 | 8.5 (7.3 to 9.8) | 21.3 (19.5 to 23.2)b | 1986–91 | −0.14 | −0.20 | |
| 1996 | 3 841 | 4.8 (4.0 to 5.4)b | 13.7 (12.5 to 15.0)b | 1991–96 | −0.75 | −1.53 | |
| 2002 | 11 170 | 4.2 (3.8 to 4.8) | 11.8 (11.0 to 12.6) | 1996–02 | −0.08 | −0.32 | |
| 2007f | 10 522 | 3.1 (NA) | 9.8 (NA) | 2002–07 | −0.24 | −0.40 | |
| Overall | −0.29 | −0.60 | |||||
| El Salvador | 1966e | 635 | 22.4 (NA) | 56.7 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1988e | 1 993 | 11.1 (NA) | 36.6 (NA) | 1966–88 | −0.51 | −0.91 | |
| 1993 | 3 518 | 7.0 (6.0 to 7.9) | 26.2 (24.6 to 27.8) | 1988–93 | −0.83 | −2.07 | |
| 1998 | 6 590 | 8.7 (7.8 to 9.5)b | 29.5 (28.1 to 30.9)b | 1993–98 | 0.34 | 0.65 | |
| 2003 | 5 294 | 5.5 (4.6 to 6.3)b | 20.8 (19.2 to 22.3)b | 1998–03 | −0.63 | −1.74 | |
| 2008b | 5 173 | 5.6 (NA) | 19.2 (NA) | 2008–03 | 0.02 | −0.31 | |
| Overall | −0.40 | −0.89 | |||||
| Guatemala | 1966e | 828 | 28.4 (NA) | 63.5 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1987 | 2 250 | 27.9 (26.0 to 29.7) | 62.4 (60.4 to 64.4) | 1966–87 | −0.03 | −0.05 | |
| 1995 | 8 792 | 22.0 (20.9 to 23.0)b | 55.5 (54.1 to 56.9)b | 1987–95 | −0.73 | −0.86 | |
| 1999 | 4 055 | 20.5 (18.6 to 22.3) | 53.4 (51.0 to 55.8)b | 1995–99 | −0.38 | −0.53 | |
| 2002 | 6 505 | 18.0 (16.9 to 19.2) | 54.5 (52.8 to 56.2) | 1999–02 | −0.82 | 0.36 | |
| Overall | −0.29 | −0.25 | |||||
| Haiti | 1995 | 2 874 | 24.2 (22.6 to 25.8) | 37.5 (35.7 to 39.3) | – | – | – |
| 2000 | 6 502 | 14.1 (12.8 to 15.3)b | 28.9 (27.0 to 30.8)b | 1995–00 | −2.03 | −1.71 | |
| 2005 | 2 987 | 15.3 (17.4 to 20.9)g | 30.1 (28.1 to 32.2) | 2000–05 | 1.03 | 0.24 | |
| Overall | −0.50 | −0.74 | |||||
| Honduras | 1966e | 573 | 24.9 (NA) | 51.4 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1987e | 6 147 | 14.8 (NA) | 42.7 (NA) | 1966–87 | −0.72 | −0.62 | |
| 2001 | 5 664 | 12.6 (11.6 to 13.5) | 34.6 (33.2 to 35.9) | 1987–01 | −0.16 | −0.58 | |
| 2005 | 10 320 | 8.7 (8.1 to 9.3)b | 30.1 (29.2 to 31.1)b | 2001–05 | −0.97 | −1.10 | |
| Overall | −0.41 | 0.54 | |||||
| Mexico | 1988h | 6 937 | 10.8 (NA) | 26.9 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1999h | 7 590 | 5.6 (NA) | 21.5 (NA) | 1988–99 | −0.47 | −0.49 | |
| 2006h | 7 707 | 3.4 (15.4 to 15.7) | 15.5 (3.4 to 3.5) | 1999–06 | −0.31 | −0.86 | |
| Overall | −0.41 | −0.63 | |||||
| Nicaragua | 1966e | 573 | 24.9 (NA) | 51.4 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1993 | 3 609 | 9.6 (NA) | 29.3 (NA) | 1966–93 | −0.57 | −0.82 | |
| 1998 | 7 200 | 10.4 (9.6 to 11.2) | 30.7 (29.5 to 31.9) | 1993–98 | 0.16 | −0.28 | |
| 2001 | 6 138 | 7.8 (7.1 to 8.6)b | 25.4 (24.1 to 26.6)b | 1998–01 | −0.86 | −1.78 | |
| 2006i | 6 535 | 5.5 (NA) | 21.7 (NA) | 2001–06 | −0.47 | −1.22 | |
| Overall | −0.49 | −0.74 | |||||
| Panama | 1966e | 600 | 9.6 (NA) | 29.4 (NA) | – | – | – |
| 1997e | 2 282 | 5.0 (NA) | 16.8 (NA) | 1966–97 | −0.15 | −0.41 | |
| 2003e | 2 893 | 5.3 (NA) | 23.7 (NA) | 1997–03 | 0.05 | 1.15 | |
| Overall | −0.12 | −0.15 | |||||
| Peru | 1992 | 7 874 | 8.9 (8.3 to 9.6) | 37.8 (36.6 to 38.9) | – | – | – |
| 1996 | 15 354 | 5.8 (5.4 to 6.2)b | 31.9 (30.1 to 32.8)b | 1992–96 | −0.78 | −1.47 | |
| 2000c | 11 884 | 5.2 (4.8 to 5.7) | 31.6 (30.6 to 32.6) | 1996–00 | −0.09 | −0.04 | |
| 2004–08j | 2 347 | 5.6 (4.5 to 6.7) | 29.8 (27.6 to 32.1) | 2000–05 | 0.08 | −0.36 | |
| Overall | −0.25 | −0.61 | |||||
CI, confidence interval; NA, not available; PP, percentage points.
Unless otherwise indicated data estimates are from analyses of DHS or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveys.
a Number of observations for weight-for-age calculations (represents maximum sample size) for children 0–60 months of age.
b Significantly lower than in previous survey (95% CIs do not overlap).
c Data from reference.18
d Data on underweight from the WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition (http://www.who.int/nutgrowthdb/database/en/) [accessed 12 May 2009]. Data on stunting from reference.19
e Data from reference.20
f Data from reference.17
g Significantly higher than in previous survey (95% CIs do not overlap).
h Data from reference.22 Represents data for children 6–60 months of age.
i Data from reference.23
j For regional estimates only, data are from the 2005, 2007 and first-trimester amplified survey of 2008 (n = 9047 for weight and n = 8969 for height).