SUMMARY
Programs and politics towards growth deficit. (Consequences of a line of research carried out in Chile)
This communication offers suggestions for programs and policies in relation to stunting within the infant population. The proposal is based on current social strategies and the results of research carried out on Chilean school children.

These results indicate that height deficit is concentrated in sectors of the population belonging to low socio-economic levels, and the risk factors are related to the small stature of their parents with a record of undernutrition, small size at birth and low per capita income. This deficit begins early, occurring mainly before the child's second birthday and as a consequence is reflected in below average performance at school of those children living in areas of social vulnerability.

Suggestions offered take into account the orientation that should be considered for social policies, the selection of beneficiaries, program contents and management and problems that need to be overcome. Among these, the following issues are highlighted: - That the social welfare programs designed to combat stunting in the infant population should have, as a priority objective, the aim of benefiting sectors of the population most at need. It is vital to include in these programs: adequate pre-natal care of women with a high risk profile of giving birth to a child with intrauterine growth retardation; promotion of child growth; food supplementation and/or fortification, and improvement of physical fitness. - The government should play a leading role in the promotion and management of these programs, in the regulation of prívate sector involvement, as well as promoting local community participation. - Warnings are given about the inadequacies of present goovernment social welfare policies related to infant nutrition, and the lack of research carried out into the effectiveness of current programs. In relation to future aims, we would like to see more emphasis put into the integration of intetnational and regional intervention programs aimed at combating infant undernutrition. This would include sharing resources and collectiong information related to the problem. Finally, all these actions should be aligned and focused on the principal aim; allowing children to reach their full growth potential.

Key words: Nutritional programs, growth deficit, school children.



Recibido: 03/04/1997
Aceptado: 21/05/1998

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