OBJECTIVE:

To analyze inequalities and nutritional deficiencies in residents of Mato Grosso State, Brazil, from 2007 to 2021.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This is an ecological study with a space-time approach. Records of hospitalizations due to nutritional deficiencies were acquired from DATASUS, and classified by year of care, by cities of residence in Mato Grosso State, and by sociodemographic variables. Statistical correlations were performed using the chi-square test, with a 5% significance level. Thematic maps were generated for average rates, Moran Local indices (spatial autocorrelation), and space-time clusters.

RESULTS:

From a total of 22,302 records, 22,648 hospitalizations for nutritional deficiencies were analyzed, with 15.7% of these in children up to 4 years old. More than half of the hospitalization records were classified as brown individuals. Also noteworthy is the higher number of hospitalizations among the elderly, who represent the age group most prone to anemia. In general, there was an upward trend in the values of average rates per period, exemplified by the maps.

CONCLUSION:

The contradiction between nutritional deficiencies and high agricultural productivity in Mato Grosso must be understood based on interdisciplinary studies aimed at improving the health of the local population.