Hair zinc levels and nutritional status in urban children from Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil.

The mean +/-s.d. hair zinc levels of 45 pre-school and 70 school children, age 1-12 years, were 123 +/- 74 and 103 +/- 74 micrograms/g hair, respectively. The prevalence of zinc levels less than 70 micrograms/g 15 per cent (9 and 19 per cent for pre-school and school children, respectively). Anthropometric measurements showed that 25 per cent suffered from chronic malnutrition. The form of malnutrition manifested was exclusively stunting, ie, low height-for-age in the presence of adequate weight-for-height. No association was found between low hair zinc levels and nutritional status.