Cigarette smoke exposure and increased risks of stunting among under-five children

Cigarette Smoke Exposure and Stunting Among Under-five Children in Rural and Poor Families in Indonesia

Cigarette smoke exposure in mothers and children is highly prevalent in Asia, especially among rural and poor families. Second-hand smoke exposure might affect the nutritional status of children. Despite the emerging double burden of malnutrition and the very high prevalence of smoking in Indonesia, few studies have examined the effects of parental smoking on children's nutritional status. This study aims to measure the relationship between family smoking behavior and the occurrence of stunting in children under 5 years. This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling technique, with 221 households with children aged 0 to 59 months from poor areas in Indonesia. Exposure to cigarette smoke is assessed using The Secondhand Smoke Exposure Scale questionnaire. The outcome measured is child stunting (height-for-age Z-score). The prevalence of stunting was estimated at 145 (65.6%). Children living with smoking parents were counted for 157 (71%), and most smoking exposure comes from fathers 147 (67.4%). The predictors of stunting in children under 5 years were a smoker father with (AOR 1.8; 95% CI 1.281-4.641), both parents are smokers increasing the risk of stunting with (COR 3.591; 95% CI 1.67-3.77), being exposed of smoke for more than 3 hours a day increase the risk of stunted children (COR 2.05; 95% CI 1.214-3.629), and using traditional cigarette or kretek expand the risk of stunting (AOR 3.19; 95% CI 1.139-67.785). The findings demonstrate the negative impact of parental smoking on children's growth, reinforcing the importance of reducing smoking prevalence by imposing a smoke-free home policy in the stunting prevention strategy.

Cerium-terephthalic acid metal-organic frameworks for ratiometric fluorescence detecting and scavenging·OH from fuel combustion gas

Hydroxyl radical (•OH) in fuel combustion gas seriously damages human health. The techniques for simultaneously detecting and scavenging •OH in these gases are limited by poor thermal resistance. To meet this challenge, herein, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with high thermal stability (80-400 °C) and dual function (•OH detection and elimination) are developed by coordinating Ce ions with terephthalic acid (TA) (Ce-BDC). Due to the reversible conversion between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺, and the high concentration of Ce³⁺ on the surface of Ce-BDC MOFs (89.6%), an •OH scavenging efficiency over 90% is realized. Ratiometric fluorescence (I_440 nm/I_355 nm) detection of •OH with a low detection limit of ∼4 μM is established by adopting Ce ions as an internal standard and TA as an •OH-responsive fluorophore. For real applications, the Ce-BDC MOFs demonstrate excellent •OH detection sensitivity and high •OH scavenging efficiency in gas produced from cigarettes, wood fiber and machine oil. Mouse model results show that the damage caused by •OH in cigarette smoke can be greatly reduced by Ce-BDC MOFs. This work provides a promising strategy for sensitively detecting and efficiently eliminating •OH in fuel combustion gas.

Improving the Healthy Family Index to Prevent Stunting among Children aged 0–59 Months in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: In Indonesia, the prevalence of stunting which is still above the limit set by WHO, requires all parties to be involved in preventing stunting. To overcome this problem, the government is strengthening basic health efforts through the Healthy Indonesia Program with a Family Approach. AIM: This study aims to determine the relationship between the index of healthy families and the incidence of stunting among toddlers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The design of this study was cross-sectional. The population in this study were all families with children aged 0–59 months who were in the working area of the Korobono Health Center. Based on the preliminary study, the number of children aged 0–59 months was 544 people. The number of sample was 202 selected by simple random sampling. Chi-square tests were used to examine the association between stunting and health family index and other related factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of stunting was 36.1%. Hypothesis test results show a relationship between the index of healthy families and the incidence of stunting (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the healthy family index can reduce the risk of stunting in the family. This research is expected to be an input for the public health center to improve the implementation and evaluation of the Healthy Indonesia Program with a Family Approach.