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To assess the impact on child growth of the nutrition-counseling component of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) strategy, a randomized trial was implemented. All 28 government health centers in a Southern Brazil city were paired according to baseline nutritional indicators. One center from each pair was randomly selected and its doctors received 20-h training in nutrition counseling. Thirty-three doctors were included and 12-13 patients < 18 mo of age from each doctor were recruited. The study included testing the knowledge of doctors, observing consultations and visiting the children at home 8, 45 and 180 d after the initial consultation. Maternal knowledge, practices and adherence to nutritional recommendations were assessed, and anthropometric measurements were taken. Day-long dietary intake was evaluated on a subsample of children. Doctors in the intervention group had better knowledge of child nutrition and improved assessment and counseling practices. Maternal recall of recommendations was higher in the intervention than in the control group, as was satisfaction with the consultation. Reported use of recommended foods was also increased. Daily fat intake was higher in the intervention than in the control group; mean daily intakes of energy and zinc also tended to improve. Children 12 mo of age or older had improved weight gain and a positive but nonsignificant improvement in length. Nutrition-counseling training improved doctors' performances, maternal practices and the diets and weight gain of children. The randomized design with blind outcome evaluation strongly supports a causal link. These results should be replicated in other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of lactation on maternal nutrition is controversial. Some studies have shown that breast-feeding reduces maternal weight, whereas some have not. All studies have been restricted to the first 2 y after delivery. We investigated the effect of lactation on maternal nutrition 5 y after delivery. All mothers giving birth in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, in 1993 were interviewed and weighed soon after delivery; information was also obtained on prepregnancy weight. In 1994, information on breast-feeding duration and pattern was collected for a 20% subsample. They were seen again in 1998, and those eligible (nonsmokers, no subsequent pregnancy, last birth weight > or = 2500 g) underwent measurements for weight, height, waist, hip and arm circumferences, triceps and subscapular skinfolds. The following indices were calculated in 312 women: body mass index, waist/hip ratio, arm fat area, the percentage of body fat assessed through skinfolds, and weight and body mass index change since before conception. The percentage of body fat was also measured through bioimpedance for half of the sample. After adjustment for confounding, all outcomes generally showed a similar pattern, i.e., mothers who breast-fed for 6-11.9 mo had lower measurements than those with shorter or longer durations. However, only the association with bioimpedance was significant (P < 0.03), and that for arm fat area tended to be significant (P = 0.06). Exclusive or predominant breastfeeding at 4 mo was associated with lower waist circumference (P = 0.05) and the percentage of body fat measured through skinfolds (P = 0.04). This study suggests that the relationship between breast-feeding and long-term changes in maternal weight is complex and, in this population, not particularly strong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food intake and morbidity are the two main proximal determinants of childhood malnutrition. Intake is usually assessed through the 24-h recall method. Few studies, however, have evaluated the accuracy of this method; in particular, it is not known whether accuracy varies according to the child's nutritional status. The intake of 50 children (< 2 y old), of whom 25 were underweight (weight-for-age more than 2 SD below the National Center for Health Statistics reference), as evaluated through weighing of all foods (gold standard) and through recall. The overall intakes of energy, fat and protein were significantly greater according to the recall method than by weighing. The trend towards overestimation was more marked for malnourished children than for well-nourished children. The possibility of such bias should be taken into account in future studies.