Abstract
The indigenous population of Brazil is of almost 900 thousand people, divided into 305 ethnic groups. The preoccupation with the health of children and adolescents was reinforced at the 4th National Conference of Indigenous Health. The aim of this work is to update the debate about health conditions of indigenous children and adolescents. Regarding the nutritional profile, the data are conflicting in diagnosing undernourishing, since there is markedly convergence in the studied articles in showing short stature, but with maintainance of the proportion between weight and height. Both ethnic and nutritional aspects may be present: up to a certain proportion, deficits in height can be considered as of ethnical origin; above this value, this would indicate undernourishment in a populational basis. Half of the new cases of tuberculosis among Brazilian Indians are diagnosed in childhood and adolescence. All the studies point out to the necessity of improvement of policies and health actions directed to the sociocultural specificities of the indigenous peoples.
