The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors in the family's migratory profile of preschool children with chronic malnutrition. A comparative observational study was conducted, including 511 12 to 60 months old children from childcare centers in the Jalisco sugar cane area, from February to March 1988. We evaluated their nutritional status using anthropometric indicators and Waterlow's classification. Their migratory history included information on place of origin, migratory mobility, cause of immigration, sociodemographic characteristics of parents and history of siblings who died under five years. The prevalence of malnutrition was 79 percent per 100 preschool children (68.5% adapted, 21.5% acute chronic and 10.4% acute). Factors associated with chronic malnutrition (OR greater than 1 CI 95%) included: coming from a poverty stricken population and being permanent migrants. A significant difference (p less than 0.05) was found among children of parents who were jobless at the time of migration. These findings could be used to justify the implementation of nutritional epidemiologic surveillance and intervention programs.