Objective: To identify the role of family life strategies on malnutrition in children aged 6-23 months of age.
Material and methods: This case-control study was conducted in 1998 in the municipality of Teolocholco, State of Tlaxcala, Mexico, among families with children aged 6-23 months of age. The sample was conformed by 105 cases and 210 controls. Family life strategies were grouped into five types: family composition, means and distribution of family income, family and social networks, and life preservation strategies. Malnutrition was classified according to height for age. Data were analyzed using logistic regression to obtain odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Data were collected from 605 families, for a total of 445 controls and 160 cases. The predictive model included mother's schooling, overcrowding, time elapsed between childbirths, per capita monthly income, and time devoted to child-rearing activities.
Conclusions: Family life strategies determine children's nutritional status; understanding the influence of the family on the children's health status is necessary to develop effective programs aimed at improving the nutritional status of children.