American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 21, 646-656, Copyright © 1968 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Nutritional Status in Puerto Rican Slum Area

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico; Division of Nutrition, Department of Health, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and Department of Home Economics, University of Puerto Rico, Sanjuan

A nutrition survey was carried out in the urban slum area of Juana Matos, Cataño, Puerto Rico. The survey included the collection of clinical, biochemical, dietary, and socioeconomic data. A total of 1,796 subjects was examined clinically. Biochemical tests were done in 910 individuals or 51% of the examinees. Feces were examined quantitatively for ova and parasites.

The dietary and socioeconomic data were collected by interviewing all the families at their homes and by carrying out a 24-hr individual weighed intake survey of the diet in 59 representative families.

Socioeconomic data revealed that living and sanitary conditions were very poor. Annual income varied from $1000 to $3000 in about half the families, and the general educational level was low. Men worked mainly as unskilled and skilled laborers. Also, many men held jobs in various commercial establishments.

The dietary data revealed that most of the families consumed coffee, rice, fresh milk, and seasonings, such as onions and tomato sauce, almost every day. Other foods eaten frequently were bread, pork, avocados, beans, and eggs. Breakfast usually consisted of a combination of two or more kinds of foods such as milk, coffee, and chocolate with the addition of bread, soda crackers, eggs, butter or margarine, cheese, some cereal, or fruit. At lunch and supper, rice and beans constituted the basic menu with the addition of a variety of other foods such as meat, eggs, sausages, and seafoods. However, the average consumption of milk, eggs, and vegetables was low.

The diet was generally below the recommended allowances for calories, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and riboflavin. The ingestion of protein, thiamine, niacin, and iron varied from fair to adequate. Fat was mostly of animal origin.

There was a low prvalence of signs associated with nutritional deficiencies. The most revealing clinical finding was retardation of growth as expressed in terms of height and weight for age. A considerable prevalence of obesity was observed among adult women.

Hematologic findings showed a low prevalence of hypochromic anemias affecting mainly infants, children, and women during pregnancy and lactation. Few low total plasma protein levels were found particularly among infants and pregnant women. Plasma vitamin A and carotene levels were higher than expected. Plasma ascorbic acid was adequate in all subjects examined.

Urinary excretion rates of thiamine, riboflavin, and N-methylnicotinamide per gram of creatinine were low or deficient, or both, in 13, 16, and 27%, respectively, of the samples analyzed.

Intestinal infestation with helminth parasites was highly prevalent, particularly Ascavis lumbricoides and Trichuris trichirua. The prevalence of hookworm was low.