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Minja EG, Mrimi EC, Mponzi WP, Mollel GJ, Lang C, Beckmann J, Gerber M, Pühse U, Long KZ, Masanja H, Okumu FO, Finda MF, Utzinger J. Prevalence and Determinants of Undernutrition in Schoolchildren in the Kilombero District, South-Eastern Tanzania. Trop Med Infect Dis 2024; 9:96. [PMID: 38787029 PMCID: PMC11125975 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed9050096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood undernutrition is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries, affecting the health, well-being, and educational outcomes of schoolchildren. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of stunting, wasting, and underweight among schoolchildren in peri-urban areas in the south-eastern part of Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 930 children aged 6-12 years from four primary schools from July to August 2019. The WHO Anthro Survey Analyzer was employed to estimate the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight, while logistic regression analyses examined sociodemographic background, malaria infection, anaemia, anthropometric measures, and dietary diversity score as potential factors. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight, and obesity was 11.8%, 4.3%, 3.9%, 11.1%, and 2.0%, respectively. Overall, 1.5% of the children had malaria, as determined by rapid diagnostic tests, and 0.4% had severe anaemia. Univariate analysis indicated higher odds of undernutrition among children aged 9-12 compared to their younger peers. Stunting was more common among children with low and medium dietary diversity. Anaemia was found in 11.2% of schoolchildren, and severe anaemia was associated with wasting. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and low dietary diversity were significantly associated with undernutrition. These findings emphasise the need for school-based health and nutrition programmes targeting children beyond the age of 5 to improve their nutritional status and mitigate potential adverse effects on health, cognition, and academic achievement. Regular assessment of the nutritional status of schoolchildren is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elihaika G. Minja
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; (K.Z.L.); (J.U.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel C. Mrimi
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; (K.Z.L.); (J.U.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Winfrida P. Mponzi
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
| | - Getrud J. Mollel
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 65001, Tanzania
| | - Christin Lang
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland; (C.L.); (J.B.); (M.G.); (U.P.)
| | - Johanna Beckmann
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland; (C.L.); (J.B.); (M.G.); (U.P.)
| | - Markus Gerber
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland; (C.L.); (J.B.); (M.G.); (U.P.)
| | - Uwe Pühse
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland; (C.L.); (J.B.); (M.G.); (U.P.)
| | - Kurt Z. Long
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; (K.Z.L.); (J.U.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Honorati Masanja
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
| | - Fredros O. Okumu
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
- School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science & Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
| | - Marceline F. Finda
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara P.O. Box 53, Tanzania; (E.C.M.); (W.P.M.); (G.J.M.); (H.M.); (F.O.O.); (M.F.F.)
- School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science & Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
| | - Jürg Utzinger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; (K.Z.L.); (J.U.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
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Lashaki EK, Mizani A, Hosseini SA, Habibi B, Taherkhani K, Javadi A, Taremiha A, Dodangeh S. Global prevalence of enterobiasis in young children over the past 20 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osong Public Health Res Perspect 2023; 14:441-450. [PMID: 38204424 PMCID: PMC10788413 DOI: 10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0204] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Parasitic infections are the most common diseases worldwide, and enterobiasis is a common parasitic infection in children. Various studies have reported on the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis in different regions of the world. However, no study has gathered and analyzed this data systematically. Our systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the overall prevalence of E. vermicularis among children globally. Data were extracted from 4 available databases for studies published from January 2002 to April 2022. The quality of the included studies was scored based on the standard Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. A random-effect model was chosen to calculate the pooled prevalence and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) according to the degree of heterogeneity in the included studies. Thus, 40 publications (42 data sets) that included 3,279 children with enterobiasis met all criteria and were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis showed that heterogeneity among the included studies was high (Q=4,399.35, I2=99.96%; df=41; p<0.001). The pooled global prevalence of enterobiasis among the studied children was 12.9% (95% CI, 8.2%-17.7%). Our systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that, for the past 20 years, 12.9% of children around the world have been infected with E. vermicularis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Kia Lashaki
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medical sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
| | - Azadeh Mizani
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Bentolhoda Habibi
- Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Taherkhani
- Dental Caries Prevention Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Amir Javadi
- Department of Social Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - AliReza Taremiha
- Clinical Research Development Unit, Booalisina Hospital, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Samira Dodangeh
- Children Growth Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
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