Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the influence of nutritional status on the occurrence of Acute Respiratory Infection in children under two years old. Methods: A descriptive study with a quantitative approach was used, the data were collected in the Primary Care Information System, made available by the Informatics Department of the Unified Health System, for the period from January 2009 to December 2014. For statistical analysis, the Spearman Correlation, adjusting the data to the negative binomial model with a significance level of 5%. Results: It is determined that the average number of ARI cases increases by 3% with each new case of malnutrition in the age group 0-12 months and increases by 1.5% in each case of malnutrition in the age group 12-23 months. This study found a positive correlation between cases of acute respiratory infection and malnutrition. Conclusion: The improvement in nutritional status implies a lower risk of illness, a reduction in hospital stay, a decrease in hospital costs.