Peer-reviewed article
Nutritional Status of 8,128,014 Chilean and Immigrant Children and Adolescents Evaluated by the National Board of School Aid and Scholarships (JUNAEB) Between 2013 and 2023.
Edson Bustos-Arriagada, Fabián Vásquez, Karina Etchegaray-Armijo, Sandra López-Arana ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined nutritional status trends for over 8 million Chilean and immigrant children and adolescents in schools from 2013 to 2023. The proportion of immigrant children in Chilean schools rose from 0.4% to 7.9% over the decade. Chilean children had higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to immigrant children, while immigrant children showed higher rates of thinness and stunting. Girls in both groups had better nutritional outcomes than boys overall.
Key points
- Immigrant students in Chilean schools increased from 0.4% (2013) to 7.9% (2023) of the total evaluated population
- Chilean children had higher overnutrition rates but lower thinness and stunting compared to immigrant children
- Immigrant children showed higher proportions of thinness, risk of thinness, and stunting
- Girls in both Chilean and immigrant populations had lower rates of thinness, obesity, and stunting compared to boys
- Nutritional differences between Chilean and immigrant children indicate need for tailored public health policies
Limitations
This is a descriptive epidemiological study without causal analysis, so it cannot explain why nutritional differences exist between groups or identify effective interventions. The study does not examine underlying factors such as socioeconomic status, access to services, or dietary practices that may drive these differences.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Nutritional issues, including overweight and obesity, along with the rising number of immigrants facing their own nutritional problems, continue to keep Chile on alert. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiological and nutritional status changes among Chilean and immigrant boys, girls, and adolescents (BGA) in schools evaluated by the National Board of School Aid and Scholarships (JUNAEB) from 2013 to 2023. METHODS: This descriptive study analyzed individual, anonymous, and de-identified data on the nutritional status of BGA in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade, and the first year of high school using the JUNAEB Nutritional Map. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 8,128,014 BGA, 49.2% women and 50.8% men. In 2013, immigrant BGA represented 0.4% of the total number of children evaluated, and by 2023, this percentage increased to 7.9%. It was observed that Chilean BGA had a lower proportion of thinness, risk of thinness, stunting, and normal weight, but a higher proportion of overnutrition compared to immigrants, similar to observations made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons by sex showed that Chilean and immigrant women had a lower percentage of thinness, risk of thinness, obesity, severe obesity, and stunting, and a higher proportion of normal weight when compared to men. CONCLUSIONS: The rise in immigrant BGA within the Chilean school system, together with the nutritional differences between both groups, highlights the need to consider these particularities when designing nutritional public policies in the health and education sectors.