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Lowe C, Sarma H, Gray D, Kelly M. Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low- and middle-income countries. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20:e13618. [PMID: 38192051 PMCID: PMC10981488 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Child stunting due to linear growth faltering remains a pervasive issue in low- and middle-income countries. Two schools of thought have existed pertaining to the role of domestic livestock ownership (DLO) in child linear growth. On one hand, it is argued that DLO leads to greater income and financial security, resulting in better child-raising conditions, including greater animal-source food (ASF) consumption, having protective effects towards child stunting. On the other hand, researchers argue that DLO contributes to faecal contamination and transmission of zoonotic enteric infections from animals to children, thus having destructive effects on child growth. Reviews of this association have revealed ambiguous findings. In this perspective, we argue that measuring the association between exposures to domesticated animals and child stunting is difficult and the ambiguous associations revealed are a result of confounding and differences in the management of DLO. We also argue that the increasingly prominent area of research of environmental enteric dysfunction, a sub-clinical condition of the small intestine thought to be due to frequent faecal pathogen exposure and associated with stunting, will be a useful tool to measure the potential destructive effects of DLO on child growth. We present our argument and identify challenges and considerations and directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum Lowe
- Department of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and MedicineAustralian National UniversityActonAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Haribondhu Sarma
- Department of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and MedicineAustralian National UniversityActonAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Darren Gray
- Population Health ProgramQIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Matthew Kelly
- Department of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and MedicineAustralian National UniversityActonAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
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Zerfu TA, Abera A, Duncan A, Baltenweck I, McNeill G. Ownership of small livestock species, but not aggregate livestock, is associated with an increased risk of anemia among children in Ethiopia: A propensity score matching analysis. Food Sci Nutr 2023; 11:5157-5165. [PMID: 37701191 PMCID: PMC10494613 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Consumption of animal source foods, through livestock production, improves children's growth and micronutrient status. However, research on the relationship between livestock ownership and childhood anemia has produced conflicting results. The current study used robust analytical approaches to examine the effect of household livestock ownership on children's anemia using the most recent secondary data from the national demographic and health survey. We followed a 1:1 closest neighborhood propensity score matching analysis. A propensity score was generated using the binary logistic regression model to compute the probability of owning livestock. From a total of 18,008 households enrolled in the latest Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS 2016), data of 721 index children aged 6-59 months from households owning livestock were matched with a comparable number (721) of children from households without livestock. The paired and independent t-test, matched relative risk (RR), and standardized mean differences were used to compare the distributions of hemoglobin concentration and anemia risks between treatment and control groups. Anemia was found in more than half (54.1% and 58.8%) of children aged 6-59 months from livestock-owning and nonowning families, respectively (p > .05). Aggregate ownership of livestock was not associated with hemoglobin concentration or anemia status (RR = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] [0.87-1.04]). Species-wise, poultry was associated with a lower (RR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.84-0.95]) anemia risk, while ownership of goat/sheep was associated with higher (RR = 1.10, 95% CI [1.03-1.17]) risk. In conclusion, ownership of small livestock species (sheep/goats and poultry), but not aggregate livestock ownership, was associated with the risk of anemia among children in Ethiopia. Therefore, agriculture-sensitive nutrition, with a One Health lens approach, is recommended to mitigate the high burden of anemia among children in Ethiopia. In the future, a well-controlled interventional study with more extended periods may be required to fully understand the effects of livestock production and highlight the differences seen across livestock species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taddese Alemu Zerfu
- International Food Policy Research Institute (FPRI)Addis AbabaEthiopia
- Global Academy of Agriculture and Food SystemsRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (UoE)‐Easter Bush CampusRoslinUK
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)NairobiKenya
| | - Amare Abera
- College of Medicine and Health SciencesWollo UniversityDessieEthiopia
| | - Alan Duncan
- Global Academy of Agriculture and Food SystemsRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (UoE)‐Easter Bush CampusRoslinUK
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)NairobiKenya
| | | | - Geraldine McNeill
- International Food Policy Research Institute (FPRI)Addis AbabaEthiopia
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Muema J, Mutono N, Kisaka S, Ogoti B, Oyugi J, Bukania Z, Daniel T, Njuguna J, Kimani I, Makori A, Omulo S, Boyd E, Osman AM, Gwenaelle L, Jost C, Thumbi SM. The impact of livestock interventions on nutritional outcomes of children younger than 5 years old and women in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1166495. [PMID: 37485389 PMCID: PMC10358768 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1166495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions have the potential to improve the nutrition of communities that are dependent on livestock for their livelihoods by increasing the availability and access to animal-source foods. These interventions can also boost household income, improving purchasing power for other foods, as well as enhance determinants of health. However, there is a lack of synthesized empirical evidence of the impact and effect of livestock interventions on diets and human nutritional status in Africa. Objective To review evidence of the effectiveness of nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions in improving diets and nutritional status in children younger than 5 years old and in pregnant and lactating women. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies reporting on the effect of livestock interventions on maternal and child nutrition in Africa. Data were extracted, synthesized, and summarized qualitatively. Key outcomes were presented in summary tables alongside a narrative summary. Estimation of pooled effects was undertaken for experimental studies with nutritional outcomes of consumption of animal-source foods (ASFs) and minimum dietary diversity (MDD). Fixed effects regression models and pooled effect sizes were computed and reported as odds ratios (ORs) together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results After the screening, 29 research papers were included in the review, and of these, only 4 were included in the meta-analysis. We found that nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions have a significant positive impact on the consumption of ASFs for children < 5 years (OR = 5.39; 95% CI: 4.43-6.56) and on the likelihood of meeting minimum dietary diversity (OR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.51-2.37). Additionally, the impact of livestock interventions on stunting, wasting, and being underweight varied depending on the type of intervention and duration of the program/intervention implementation. Therefore, because of this heterogeneity in reporting metrics, the pooled estimates could not be computed. Conclusion Nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions showed a positive effect in increasing the consumption of ASFs, leading to improved dietary diversity. However, the quality of the evidence is low, and therefore, more randomized controlled studies with consistent and similar reporting metrics are needed to increase the evidence base on how nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions affect child growth outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josphat Muema
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Washington State University Global Health Program–Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Nyamai Mutono
- Washington State University Global Health Program–Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Stevens Kisaka
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Brian Ogoti
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Julius Oyugi
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Zipporah Bukania
- Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Joseph Njuguna
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Irene Kimani
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Anita Makori
- Washington State University Global Health Program–Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Sylvia Omulo
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Washington State University Global Health Program–Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Erin Boyd
- United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Abdal Monium Osman
- Emergency and Resilience Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Luc Gwenaelle
- Emergency and Resilience Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Christine Jost
- United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Washington, DC, United States
- Global Health Support Initiative III, Social Solutions International, Washington, DC, United States
| | - SM Thumbi
- Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- South African Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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