[Risk factors of short stature in Chilean school children from rural areas of high social vulnerability].

Growth retardation, a prevalent problem in Chile, was studied in rural countries of high social vulnerability. Risk factors were identified with a paired case-control design. Domiciliary interviews of the parents of 161 pairs of children between 6-8 were conducted. Cases were children between -1 and -3z scores of height/age index and Controls were children between +/- 1/2z score. The higher significant relative risks analized with univariate methods (OR) were: large familiar group, limited domestic belongings, underweight during pregnancy, insufficient weight and height at birth, undernutrition and low stature of both parents. Conditional logistic regression model showed a high likelihood ratio of 98,20. The higher OR values were for father's stature (OR=4,98) mother's stature (OR=4,64), undernutrition (OR=4,53) and insufficient weight at birth (OR=3,23). These results indicate that small size in rural school age children of low socioeconomic level is determined by heredity, specially father's stature and adverse environmental factors, being undernutrition the main contribution. These results may became a significant subsidy to design [correction of desing] interventions to improve the nutritional status of children of low socioeconomic level. Thus contributing to develop all their physical growth potential.