OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nutritional status and iron hematological and serum levels of preschool children from cities with different child development indexes (CDI). METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 34 preschool children aged between three to six years from two municipalities of Brazil: Laranjal, Paraná, with a low CDI, and Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, with a medium CDI. Children of both cities were matched by age and gender. The nutritional status was evaluated by Z score for weight/height and height/age. The biochemical evaluation included hemoglobin, hematocrit, seric iron and ferritin levels. The following tests were used for statistical analysis: t test, Mann-Whitney, chi-square and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The weight, height and Z score of the anthropometric relationships were significantly lower in the group of Laranjal children. Anemia was present in 8.8% of the children studied in both cities, without significant differences in the prevalence of iron deficiency or in the ferritin levels. CONCLUSIONS: The preschool children from the city with low CDI presented mainly malnutrition, while overweight and obesity were more prevalent on preschool children from the city with a medium CDI. Hematimetric values, iron and ferritin levels were similar between the preschool children of both cities.
nutritional status; iron; child preschool
