RESUMO
The general health and nutritional status of 105 refugee children from Chile and the Middle East were examined shortly after the arrival in Stockholm. A chronic medical condition was present in 10% and there were clinical signs of caries in 57% of the children. Iron deficiency was found in 15% of Chileans and 6% of Middle Easterners, but no other nutritional deficiencies were discovered. Stunting and wasting was rare and a significant catch-up growth was observed in both groups in a follow-up 18 months after resettlement. Obesity was common in the Chilean group on arrival in Sweden and increased further after resettlement. We conclude that chronic medical conditions, caries and obesity were the major somatic health problems in this sample of newly resettled refugee children.
Assuntos
Nível de Saúde , Estado Nutricional , Refugiados , Adolescente , Anemia Hipocrômica/epidemiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Chile/etnologia , Cárie Dentária/epidemiologia , Feminino , Seguimentos , Crescimento , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Oriente Médio/etnologia , Obesidade/epidemiologia , Suécia/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Food habits and infant feeding patterns of 45 newly resettled refugee families from Chile and the Middle East were studied in the suburbs of Stockholm. The social background of the sample was mixed and the level of maternal education high with the exception of the rural Kurds from Turkey. Children from rural Middle East areas had been breastfed for longer periods than the children from urban areas. Solid and semi-solid foods were introduced late in the Middle East. Chileans had a characteristic meal pattern, emphasizing lunch and often replacing dinner with a light meal. Resettled Chileans and Middle Easterners had a varied and well balanced diet with the characteristics of each culture. Foods containing sucrose were consumed frequently in both refugee groups.