Methods of the National Nutrition Survey 1999.

OBJECTIVE To describe the methods and analyses of the 1999 National Nutrition Survey (NNS-99). MATERIAL AND METHODS The 1999 National Nutrition Survey (NNS-99) is a probabilistic survey with nationwide representativity. The NNS-99 included four regions and urban and rural areas of Mexico. The last sampling units were households, selected through stratified cluster sampling. The study population consisted of children under five years of age, school-age children (6-11 years), and women of childbearing age (12-49 years). Data were collected on anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin levels, morbidity and its determinants, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. In addition, data on diet and micronutrients intakes (iron, zinc, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin C, and iodine) were obtained in a sub-sample of subjects. RESULTS The response rate for the NNS-99 was 82.3%; the non-response rate was 5.9% and the remaining did not participate due to uninhabited houses. CONCLUSIONS This survey updates the information on nutritional status in Mexico and should serve as the basis for food and nutrition policy-making and priority program design. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.