Dietary intake and nutritional status in a Colombian population

The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between nutritional status and dietary intake in a Colombian population. An analytical study with measurements of dietary intake of energy (calories), nutritional status, socioeconomic conditions, environmental conditions and food insecurity was carried out in 1,488 subjects. Dietary intake was calculated based on two recall of the past 24 hours and nutritional status was assessed with anthropometry. Food intake was expressed as: a) participation (%) intra-household, b) consumption per 1000 kcal usual, c) adequacy between required consumed and d) individual food insecurity. Using multinomial logistic models with nutritional status as dependent variable, we calculated adjusted prevalence ratios with 95%. For every five percentage points increase in the participation in energy consumption, the risk of deficit increased by 1.16 times (Cl 95 %: 1.03 to 1.30). The risk of deficit increases by living in urban areas 4.10 (Cl 95 %: 1.29 to 13.02), increasing age (per 5 years) 1.32 (Cl 95 %: 1.27 to 1.37) and not getting food aid 1.73 (Cl 95 %: 1.10 to 2.74). The loss of discriminating power of dietary intake, explaining the nutritional status and the emergence of other variables such as food support calls for reformulation of individual and population-based care of nutritional status.