Comparison of the alimentary habits of mothers of low socioeconomic level before and after weaning, in S. Paulo city (Brazil)

Abstract

The alimentary conditions of one hundred and ninety low-income parturients from S. Paulo city (Brazil) were assessed at two stages: during the breast feeding period (Inquiry I) and after it (Inquiry II). The twenty-four hour recall method was used to obtain the alimentary patterns and to estimate the nutritional risk. The results showed that the mother's alimentary pattern consisted of foods belonging to the protectors (beans, milk and meat); regulators (banana, orange, lettuce and tomato) and energetics (rice, bread, potatoes, noodles, refined sugar, vegetable oil) thus constituting a diet which is qualitatively satisfying. A relevant statistical difference between the two stages that were analyzed, as between the respective intake of milk, beans and coffee was found, showing a major intake of milk, during the breast feeding period (Inquiry I) and an increase of the ingestion of beans and coffee after weaning (Inquiry II). Apart from that, the deficiency revealed by Inquiry I was most often caloric-proteic while in Inquiry II the major deficiency was caloric, showing that the sample analyzed is a target group with high risk of protein-caloric mal-nutrition.