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Yeboah E, Lohmann J, Koulidiati JL, Kuunibe N, Kyei NNA, Hamadou S, Ridde V, Danquah I, Brenner S, De Allegri M. Quality of nutritional status assessment and its relationship with the effect of rainfall on childhood stunting: a cross-sectional study in rural Burkina Faso. Public Health 2024; 234:91-97. [PMID: 38970856 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In Burkina Faso, one in every four children under 5 years is stunted. Climate change will exacerbate childhood stunting. Strengthening the health system, particularly the quality of nutrition care at primary health facilities, can minimise the adverse climate effect on stunting. Thus, we examined the quality of nutritional status assessment (QoNA) during curative childcare services in primary health facilities in rural Burkina Faso and its relationship with rainfall-induced childhood stunting. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using anthropometric, rainfall, and clinical observation data. METHODS Our dependent variable was the height-for-age z-score (HAZ) of children under 2 years. Our focal climatic measure was mean rainfall deviation (MRD), calculated as the mean of the difference between 30-year monthly household-level rainfall means and the corresponding months for each child from conception to data collection. QoNA was based on the weight, height, general paleness and oedema assessment. We used a mixed-effect multilevel model and analysed heterogeneity by sex and socio-economic status. RESULTS Among 5027 young (3-23 months) children (mean age 12 ± 6 months), 21% were stunted (HAZ ≤ -2). The mean MRD was 11 ± 4 mm, and the mean QoNA was 2.86 ± 0.99. The proportion of children in low, medium, and high QoNA areas was 10%, 54%, and 36%, respectively. HAZ showed a negative correlation with MRD. Higher QoNA lowered the negative effect of MRD on HAZ (β = 0.017, P = 0.003, confidence interval = [0.006, 0.029]). Males and children from poor households benefited less from the moderating effect of QoNA. CONCLUSION Improving the quality of nutrition assessments can supplement existing efforts to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on children's nutritional well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund Yeboah
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Julia Lohmann
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - J-L Koulidiati
- Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Santé, Université Nazi Boni, 01 BP 1091, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Naasegnibe Kuunibe
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Science and Arts, Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, P O Box WA64, Wa, Ghana
| | - N N A Kyei
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Public Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Unversität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Research Department 2, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, P. O. Box 60 12 03, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - S Hamadou
- The World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC, 20433, USA
| | - V Ridde
- Université Paris Cité, IRD, Inserm, Ceped Paris, France
| | - I Danquah
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S Brenner
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Girma M, Hussein A, Baye K, Samuel A, van Zyl C, Tessema M, Chitekwe S, Laillou A. Drivers of change in weight-for-height among children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia: Risk factors and data gaps to identify risk factors. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20 Suppl 5:e13392. [PMID: 35719082 PMCID: PMC11258770 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The prevention of wasting should be a public health priority as the global burden of acute malnutrition is still high. Gaps still exist in our understanding of context-specific risk factors and interventions that can be implemented to prevent acute malnutrition. We used data from the four rounds of the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (2000-2016) to identify risk factors that have contributed to the change in weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) among children under 5 years of age. We performed a pooled linear regression analysis followed by a decomposition analysis to identify relevant risk factors and their relative contribution to the change in WHZ. Modest improvements in WHZ were seen between 2000 and 2016. The sharpest decrease in mean WHZ occurred from birth to 6 months of age. Perceived low weight at birth and recent diarrhoea predicted a decline in WHZ among children aged 0-5, 6-23 and 23-59 months. Less than 50% of the change in WHZ was accounted for by the change in risk factors included in our regression decomposition analysis. This finding highlights data gaps to identify context-specific wasting risk factors. The decline in the prevalence of recent diarrhoea (15% of the improvement), decline in low birth size (7%-9%), and an increase in wealth (15%-30%) were the main risk factors that accounted for the explained change in WHZ. Our findings emphasize the importance of interventions to reduce low birthweight, diarrhoea and interventions that address income inequities to prevent acute malnutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meron Girma
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Alemayehu Hussein
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Kaleab Baye
- Center for Food Science and NutritionAddis Ababa UniversityAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Aregash Samuel
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Cornelia van Zyl
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)International Food Policy Research InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Masresha Tessema
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | | | - Arnaud Laillou
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)Addis AbabaEthiopia
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Choudhary N, Brewis A, Schuster RC, Wutich A. Beyond WASH: Testing Additional Connections Between Household Water Insecurity and Child Nutrition Outcomes in Multi-Country Contexts. Ecol Food Nutr 2024; 63:435-468. [PMID: 38889358 DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2024.2366913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
This study identifies multiple pathways connecting household water insecurity with child nutrition. Using nationally representative samples for 18 countries, we examine the mediating role of child's dietary diversity as a function of household water status, while also accounting for sanitation. We construct a latent household water insecurity score (HWI) and use Structural Equation approach to model underlying pathways. HWI affected child's HAZ score and hemoglobin both directly and indirectly, with a mediation from child feeding alongside effects from sanitation. Broadening the conception of household water insecurity and accommodating the indirect effects of water could improve explanations of child under-nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neetu Choudhary
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Roseanne C Schuster
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe
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Girma M, Hussein A, Norris T, Genye T, Tessema M, Bossuyt A, Hadis M, van Zyl C, Goyol K, Samuel A. Progress in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) coverage and potential contribution to the decline in diarrhea and stunting in Ethiopia. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20 Suppl 5:e13280. [PMID: 34738323 PMCID: PMC11258769 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Inadequate safe water supply and poor sanitation and hygiene continue to be important risk factors for diarrhoea and stunting globally. We used data from the four rounds of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey and applied the new World Health Organization (WHO)/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) service standards to assess progress in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) coverage between 2000 and 2016. We also performed an age-disaggregated pooled linear probability regression analysis followed by a decomposition analysis to determine whether changes in WASH practices have contributed to the changing prevalence of diarrhoea and stunting in children under 5 years of age. We observed a significant increase in the coverage of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities over the period. At the national level, the use of a basic water source increased from 18% in 2000 to 50% in 2016. Open defecation declined from 82% to 32% over the same period. However, in 2016, only 6% of households had access to a basic sanitation facility, and 40% of households had no handwashing facilities. The reduction in surface water use between 2000 and 2016 explained 6% of the decline in diarrhoea observed among children aged 0-5 months. In children aged 6-59 months, between 7% and 9% of the reduction in stunting were attributable to the reduction in open defecation over this period. Despite progress, improvements are still needed to increase basic WASH coverage in Ethiopia. Our findings showed that improvements in water and sanitation only modestly explained reductions in diarrhoea and stunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meron Girma
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteArbegnoch StreetAddis Ababa1242Ethiopia
| | - Alemayehu Hussein
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteArbegnoch StreetAddis Ababa1242Ethiopia
| | - Tom Norris
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) CollaboratorInternational Food Policy Research InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Tirsit Genye
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)International Food Policy Research InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Masresha Tessema
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteArbegnoch StreetAddis Ababa1242Ethiopia
| | - Anne Bossuyt
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)International Food Policy Research InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Mamuye Hadis
- Knowledge Translation DirectorateEthiopian Public Health InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Cornelia van Zyl
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)International Food Policy Research InstituteAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Kitka Goyol
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)UNICEFAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Aregash Samuel
- National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)Ethiopian Public Health InstituteArbegnoch StreetAddis Ababa1242Ethiopia
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Rocha AS, Ribeiro-Silva RDC, Silva JFM, Pinto EJ, Silva NJ, Paixao ES, Fiaccone RL, Kac G, Rodrigues LC, Anderson C, Barreto ML. Postnatal growth in small vulnerable newborns: a longitudinal study of 2 million Brazilians using routine register-based linked data. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:444-455. [PMID: 38128734 PMCID: PMC10884605 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm, low-birth weight (LBW) and small-for-gestational age (SGA) newborns have a higher frequency of adverse health outcomes, including linear and ponderal growth impairment. OBJECTIVE To describe the growth trajectories and to estimate catch-up growth during the first 5 y of life of small newborns according to 3 vulnerability phenotypes (preterm, LBW, SGA). METHODS Longitudinal study using linked data from the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort baseline, the Brazilian National Live Birth System (SINASC), and the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) from 2011 to 2017. We estimated the length/height-for-age (L/HAZ) and weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) trajectories from children of 6-59 mo using the linear mixed model for each vulnerable newborn phenotype. Growth velocity for both L/HAZ and WAZ was calculated considering the change (Δ) in the mean z-score between 2 time points. Catch-up growth was defined as a change in z-score > 0.67 at any time during follow-up. RESULTS We analyzed 2,021,998 live born children and 8,726,599 observations. The prevalence of at least one of the vulnerable phenotypes was 16.7% and 0.6% were simultaneously preterm, LBW, and SGA. For those born at term, all phenotypes had a period of growth recovery from 12 mo. For preterm infants, the onset of L/HAZ growth recovery started later at 24 mo and the growth trajectories appear to be lower than those born at term, a condition aggravated among children with the 3 phenotypes. Preterm and female infants seem to experience slower growth recovery than those born at term and males. The catch-up growth occurs at 24-59 mo for males preterm: preterm + AGA + NBW (Δ = 0.80), preterm + AGA + LBW (Δ = 0.88), and preterm + SGA + LBW (Δ = 1.08); and among females: term + SGA + NBW (Δ = 0.69), term + AGA + LBW (Δ = 0.72), term + SGA + LBW (Δ = 0.77), preterm + AGA + LBW (Δ = 0.68), and preterm + SGA + LBW (Δ = 0.83). CONCLUSIONS Children born preterm seem to reach L/HAZ and WAZ growth trajectories lower than those attained by children born at term, a condition aggravated among the most vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline S Rocha
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil.
| | - Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil; Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia (ISC/UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Juliana F M Silva
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Elizabete J Pinto
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia, Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil
| | - Natanael J Silva
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic. Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enny S Paixao
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Rosemeire L Fiaccone
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; Department of Statistics, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Gilberto Kac
- Nutritional Epidemiology Observatory, Josué de Castro Nutrition Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Laura C Rodrigues
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Craig Anderson
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Mauricio L Barreto
- Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil; Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia (ISC/UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
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Kamudoni P, Kiige L, Ortenzi F, Beal T, Nordhagen S, Kirogo V, Arimi C, Zvandaziva C, Garg A, Codjia P, Rudert C. Identifying and understanding barriers to optimal complementary feeding in Kenya. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20 Suppl 3:e13617. [PMID: 38180165 PMCID: PMC10782142 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Optimal complementary feeding between the ages of 6 and 23 months provides children with the required range of nutritious and safe foods while continuing to be breastfed to meet their needs for essential nutrients and develop their full physical and cognitive potential. The rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life have increased from 32% in 2008 to 60% in 2022 in Kenya. However, the proportion of children between 6 and 23 months receiving a minimum acceptable diet remains low and has declined from 39% in 2008 to 31% in 2023. The Kenyan Ministry of Health, GAIN and UNICEF collaborated to understand the drivers of complementary feeding practices, particularly proximal determinants, which can be directly addressed and acted upon. A secondary analysis of household surveys and food composition data was conducted to outline children's dietary patterns within the different regions of Kenya and the extent to which the affordability of animal-source foods could be improved. Ethnographic data were analyzed to identify socio-cultural barriers to optimal complementary feeding. Furthermore, we outlined the critical steps for developing user-friendly and low-cost complementary feeding recipes. The results of all the analyses are presented in five of the six papers of this Special Issue with this additional paper introducing the Kenyan context and some of the critical findings. The Special Issue has highlighted multidimensional barriers surrounding the use and availability of animal-source foods. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for a multi-sectoral approach in enacting policies and programmes that address these barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ty Beal
- Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)WashingtonDCUSA
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Manohar S, Colantuoni E, Thorne-Lyman AL, Shrestha B, Adhikari RK, KC A, Bhattarai A, West KP. Evaluating preschool linear growth velocities: an interim reference illustrated in Nepal. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:2704-2716. [PMID: 37932904 PMCID: PMC10755438 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980023002409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE An annualised linear growth velocity (LGV) reference can identify groups of children at risk of growing poorly. As a single velocity reference for all preschool ages does not exist, we present an interim tool, derived from published, normative growth studies, for detecting growth faltering, illustrating its use in Nepali preschoolers. DESIGN The WHO Child Growth Velocity Standard was adapted to derive 12-month increments and conjoined to the Tanner-Whitehouse Height Velocity Reference data yielding contiguous preschool linear growth annualised velocities. Linear restricted cubic spline regressions were fit to generate sex-specific median and standard normal deviate velocities for ages 0 through 59 months. LGV Z-scores (LGVZ) were constructed, and growth faltering was defined as LGVZ < –2. SETTING Use of the reference was illustrated with data from Nepal’s Tarai region. PARTICIPANTS Children contributing the existing growth references and a cohort of 4276 Nepali children assessed from 2013 to 2016. RESULTS Fitted, smoothed LGV reference curves displayed monotonically decreasing 12-month LGV, exemplified by male/female annual medians of 26·4/25·3, 12·1/12·7, 9·1/9·4, 7·7/7·8 and 7/7 cm/years, starting at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively. Applying the referent, 31·1 %, 28·6 % and 29·3 % of Nepali children <6, 6–11 and 12–23 months of age, and ∼6 % of children 24–59 months, exhibited growth faltering. Under 24 months, faltering velocities were more prevalent in girls (34·4 %) than boys (25·3 %) (P < 0·05) but comparable (∼6 %) in older preschoolers. CONCLUSIONS A LGV reference, concatenated from extant data, can identify preschool groups at-risk of growth faltering. Application and limitations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha Manohar
- Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Global Food Ethics & Policy Program, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC20036, USA
| | - Elizabeth Colantuoni
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew Lucian Thorne-Lyman
- Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Binod Shrestha
- PoSHAN Study Team, Johns Hopkins University, Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur, Nepal
- Blitz Media Pvt. Ltd., Tripureshwor, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ramesh Kant Adhikari
- Global Food Ethics & Policy Program, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC20036, USA
| | - Angela KC
- Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Abhigyna Bhattarai
- Department of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
- Blitz Media Pvt. Ltd., Tripureshwor, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Keith Parker West
- Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Headey D, Ruel M. Food inflation and child undernutrition in low and middle income countries. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5761. [PMID: 37717010 PMCID: PMC10505228 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41543-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The 21st Century has been marked by increased volatility in food prices, with global price spikes in 2007-08, 2010-11, and again in 2021-22. The impact of food inflation on the risk of child undernutrition is not well understood, however. This study explores the potential impacts of food inflation on wasting and stunting among 1.27 million pre-school children from 44 developing countries. On average, a 5 percent increase in the real price of food increases the risk of wasting by 9 percent and severe wasting by 14 percent. These risks apply to young infants, suggesting a prenatal pathway, as well as to older children who typically experience a deterioration in diet quality in the wake of food inflation. Male children and children from poor and rural landless households are more severely impacted. Food inflation during pregnancy and the first year after birth also increases the risk of stunting for children 2-5 years of age. This evidence provides a strong rationale for interventions to prevent food inflation and mitigate its impacts on vulnerable children and their mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Headey
- Senior Research Fellow, The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Colombo, Sri Lanka.
| | - Marie Ruel
- Senior Research Fellow, The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA
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Rojas AJ, Gray CL, West CT. "Measuring the Environmental Context of Child Growth in Burkina Faso". POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT 2023; 45:3. [PMID: 37274602 PMCID: PMC10237046 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-023-00414-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Child growth failure, as indicated by low height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), is an important metric of health, social inequality, and food insecurity. Understanding the environmental pathways to this outcome can provide insight into how to prevent it. While other studies have examined the environmental determinants of HAZ, there is no agreed upon best-practices approach to measure the environmental context of this outcome. From this literature, we derive a large set of potential environmental predictors and specifications including temperature and precipitation levels, anomalies, and counts as well as vegetation anomalies and trends, which we include using linear, nonlinear, and interactive specifications. We compare these measures and specifications using four rounds of DHS survey data from Burkina Faso and a large set of fixed effects regression models, focusing on exposures from the time of conception through the second year of life and relying on joint hypothesis tests and goodness-of-fit measures to determine which approach best explains HAZ. Our analysis reveals that nonlinear and interactive transformations of climate anomalies, as opposed to climate levels or vegetation indices, provide the best explanation of child growth failure. These results underline the complex and nonlinear pathways through which climate change affects child health and should motivate climate-health researchers to more broadly adopt measures and specifications that capture these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo J Rojas
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Clark L Gray
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Colin Thor West
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Identifying Predictors for Minimum Dietary Diversity and Minimum Meal Frequency in Children Aged 6-23 Months in Uganda. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14245208. [PMID: 36558366 PMCID: PMC9786234 DOI: 10.3390/nu14245208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adequate complementary foods contribute to good health and growth in young children. However, many countries are still off-track in achieving critical complementary feeding indicators, such as minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). In this study, we used the 2016 Ugandan Demographic Health Survey (UDHS) data to assess child feeding practices in young children aged 6-23 months. We assess and describe complementary feeding indicators (MMF, MDD and MAD) for Uganda, considering geographic variation. We construct multivariable logistic regression models-stratified by age-to evaluate four theorized predictors of MMF and MDD: health status, vaccination status, household wealth and female empowerment. Our findings show an improvement of complementary feeding practice indicators in Uganda compared to the past, although the MAD threshold was reached by only 22% of children. Children who did not achieve 1 or more complementary feeding indicators are primarily based in the northern regions of Uganda. Cereals and roots were the foods most consumed daily by young children (80%), while eggs were rarely eaten. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that health status, vaccination status and wealth were significantly positively associated with MDD and MMF, while female empowerment was not. Improving nutrition in infant and young children is a priority. Urgent nutritional policies and acceptable interventions are needed to guarantee nutritious and age-appropriate complementary foods to each Ugandan child in the first years of life.
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11
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Swanson ZS, Nzunza R, Bethancourt HJ, Saunders J, Mutindwa F, Ndiema E, Braun DR, Rosinger AY, Pontzer H. Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 35:e23842. [PMID: 36463096 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Investigations of early childhood growth among small-scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, arid region of northern Kenya. METHODS A large sample of height and weight measures were collected from children (N = 1756; total observations = 4508; age = 0-5 years) between 2018 and 2020. Daasanach growth was compared to international reference standards and Daasanach-specific centile growth curves and pseudo-velocity models were generated using generalized additive models for location scale and size. RESULTS Compared to World Health Organization (WHO) reference, relatively few Daasanach children were stunted (14.3%), while a large proportion were underweight (38.5%) and wasted (53.6%). Additionally, Daasanach children had a distinctive pattern of growth, marked by an increase in linear growth velocity after 24 months of age and relatively high linear growth velocity throughout the rest of early childhood. CONCLUSIONS These results identify a unique pattern of early childhood growth faltering among children in a small-scale population and may reflect a thermoregulatory adaptation to their hot, arid environment. As linear growth and weight gain remain important indicators of health, the results of this study provide insight into growth velocity variations. This study has important implications for global public health efforts to identify and address sources of early growth faltering and undernutrition in small-scale populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane S. Swanson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Rosemary Nzunza
- Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Nairobi Kenya
| | - Hilary J. Bethancourt
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
- Institute for Research Policy Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Jessica Saunders
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | | | - Emmanuel Ndiema
- Department of Earth Sciences National Museums of Kenya Nairobi Kenya
| | - David R. Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology The George Washington University Washington District of Columbia USA
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Anthropology Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
- Global Health Institute Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
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12
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Olney DK, Gelli A, Kumar N, Alderman H, Go A, Raza A. Social assistance programme impacts on women's and children's diets and nutritional status. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2022; 18:e13378. [PMID: 35726357 PMCID: PMC9480902 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deanna K. Olney
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington DC United States
| | - Aulo Gelli
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington DC United States
| | - Neha Kumar
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington DC United States
| | - Harold Alderman
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington DC United States
| | - Ara Go
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington DC United States
| | - Ahmed Raza
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Rome Italy
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13
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Afsharinia B, Gurtoo A, Mannan H. Ecosystems Determinants of Nutritional Adequacy Among the Indian Preschool Children. J Indian Inst Sci 2022; 102:811-829. [PMID: 36157169 PMCID: PMC9483286 DOI: 10.1007/s41745-022-00339-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Given the specified importance of dietary diversity in reducing the burden of malnutrition, our study explores the reasons for the high rate of malnutrition in India through assessment of a comprehensive range of ecosystem factors leading to poor nutrients intake. The study uses the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) to investigate preschoolers, through differences in wealth, gender, and health. Demographic and Health Survey (2015-16) data of 1,40,470 preschool children between the ages of 2-5 years, is investigated using the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. Multiple linear regression models developed to investigate the association between variables, depict the importance of vaccination (p-value < 0.01, 95% CI 0.02-0.06) as positively impacting the outcome measures. Interestingly, overall wealth index does not impact the dietary diversity of the child. The lower wealth index, however, significantly impacts the DDS of the female child as compared to the male child (p-value < 0.1, 95% CI - 0.03 to 0.02), indicating that the lower wealth index plays a role in developing the non-egalitarian gender attitudes for female children. Policy implications involve adapting biofortified foods with higher density of nutrients with major focus on female children to minimize the gender gap and leveraging the digital technology such as telemedicine, and advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data to offer real-time surveillance to address the healthcare needs in the ongoing immunization programs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41745-022-00339-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bita Afsharinia
- Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012 India
| | - Anjula Gurtoo
- Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012 India
| | - Hasheem Mannan
- School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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14
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Genova C, Umberger W, Peralta A, Newman S, Zeng D. The Indirect Impact of Smallholder Vegetable Production on Children's Nutrition Outcomes in Rural Vietnam. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.900625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood undernutrition, particularly stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies, remains a major health concern in rural Vietnam. While literature suggests leveraging agriculture to improve child nutrition via agricultural diversification, market engagement, and women's empowerment, very few studies have empirically explored how smallholder vegetable production can influence household nutrition. This paper examines the association of household-level vegetable diversity, market access, and market participation with nutrition outcome measures of children in smallholder households. We use a cross-sectional household dataset, collected in 2016 in northwest Vietnam, covering 234 children aged 6–60 months. We estimate and compare the results of regression models using three-stage least squares (3SLS), ordinary least squares (OLS), logistic regression, and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR), to explore variations in six nutrition outcome measures: height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-height z-score (WHZ), weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), stunting, wasting, and underweight. Our results suggest smallholder vegetable production has a significant indirect association with children's nutrition status via market participation. Market participation is an important factor in improving girls' HAZ and WHZ, and in reducing the probability of boys being stunted and underweight. The additional income from selling vegetables allows households to purchase nutritious food, which is likely to have a positive impact on children's nutrition outcomes.
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15
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Yadav S, Bhandari P. Age heterogeneities in child growth and its associated socio-demographic factors: a cross-sectional study in India. BMC Pediatr 2022; 22:384. [PMID: 35773654 PMCID: PMC9248138 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03415-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impacts of socio-demographic and environmental risk factors on child growth have been widely documented. However, it remains unclear whether the impacts of such risk factors on child growth have remained static or changed with child's age. The present study aims to assess the underlying age heterogeneities in child growth and its potential determinants over age in under-five children. METHODS Cross-sectional data on child height (measured as height-for-age z-score, i.e., HAZ) and weight (measured as weight-for-age z-score, i.e., WAZ) and potential confounding factors from India's 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) were used to construct anthropometric age-profiles by a number of bio-demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Further, age-interacted multilevel regression analyses were performed to examine differential effects of such/those risk factors on child height and weight by age. RESULTS Faltered height and weight growth during first two years of life was noticed in children of all socioeconomic groups studied, albeit with varying magnitude. In case of child's height, factors such as short birth interval, higher birth order, maternal education, household wealth, district level mortality rate have shown strong interaction with child's age during the first 23 months, signifying their age-varying role in different developmental stages of child growth. These factors explain the observed upward and downward shifts in height curve during first two years. Some of these variables (e.g., household wealth) have shown even stronger age interactions after the second birthday of children. For child's weight, interactive effects of most socio-demographic risk factors attenuated parabolically with child's age. CONCLUSIONS The impacts of several risk factors, measured at the child, mother, community, and district levels, on child growth indicators varied significantly with the child's age. Nutritional interventions aimed at preventing poor linear growth in children in India should consider these underlying age heterogeneities for growth determinants into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suryakant Yadav
- Department of Bio-Statistics and Epidemiology, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088, India
| | - Pravat Bhandari
- International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088, India.
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16
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Sinha B, Choudhary TS, Nitika N, Kumar M, Mazumder S, Taneja S, Bhandari N. Linear Growth Trajectories, Catch-up Growth, and Its Predictors Among North Indian Small-for-Gestational Age Low Birthweight Infants: A Secondary Data Analysis. Front Nutr 2022; 9:827589. [PMID: 35685868 PMCID: PMC9173003 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.827589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Low birthweight small-for-gestational-age (SGA-LBW) (birthweight below the 10th percentile for gestational age; SGA-LBW) infants are at an increased risk of poor postnatal growth outcomes. Linear growth trajectories of SGA-LBW infants are less studied in South Asian settings including India. Objectives To describe the linear growth trajectories of the SGA-LBW infants compared with appropriate-for-gestational-age LBW (AGA-LBW) infants during the first 6 months of life. In addition, we estimated catch-up growth (ΔLAZ > 0.67) in SGA-LBW infants and their performance against the WHO linear growth velocity cut-offs. Additionally, we studied factors associated with poor catch-up growth in SGA-LBW infants. Methods The data utilized came from an individually randomized controlled trial that included low birthweight (LBW) infants weighing 1,500–2,250 g at birth. A total of 8,360 LBW infants were included. For comparison between SGA-LBW and AGA-LBW infants, we presented unadjusted and adjusted estimates for mean differences (MDs) or risk ratios (RRs) for the outcomes of length, linear growth velocity, length for age z-score (LAZ) score, and stunting. We estimated the proportion of catch-up growth. Generalized linear models of the Poisson family with log links were used to identify factors associated with poor catch-up growth in SGA-LBW infants. Results Low birthweight small-for-gestational-age infants had a higher risk of stunting, lower attained length, and a lower LAZ score throughout the first 6 months of life compared with AGA-LBW infants, with differences being maximum at 28 days and minimum at 6 months of age. The linear growth velocity in SGA-LBW infants compared with AGA-LBW infants was significantly lower during the birth–28 day period [MD −0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.28 to −0.10] and higher during the 3- to 6-month period (MD 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06–0.28). Among the SGA-LBW infants, 55% showed catch-up growth for length at 6 months of age. Lower wealth quintiles, high birth order, home birth, male child, term delivery, non-exclusive breastfeeding, and pneumonia were associated with the higher risk of poor catch-up in linear growth among SGA-LBW infants. Conclusion Small for gestational age (SGA) status at birth, independent of gestational age, is a determinant of poor postnatal linear growth. Promotion of institutional deliveries, exclusive breastfeeding, and prevention and early treatment of pneumonia may be helpful to improve linear growth in SGA-LBW infants during early infancy. Clinical Trial Registration [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT02653534].
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Affiliation(s)
- Bireshwar Sinha
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India.,DBT/Wellcome India Alliance, Hyderabad, India
| | - Tarun Shankar Choudhary
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Knowledge Integration and Transformation Platform at Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Nitika Nitika
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohan Kumar
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India.,Knowledge Integration and Transformation Platform at Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Sarmila Mazumder
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Sunita Taneja
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Nita Bhandari
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India.,Knowledge Integration and Transformation Platform at Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India
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17
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Keats EC, Kajjura RB, Ataullahjan A, Islam M, Cheng B, Somaskandan A, Charbonneau KD, Confreda E, Jardine R, Oh C, Waiswa P, Bhutta ZA. Malaria reduction drives childhood stunting decline in Uganda: a mixed-methods country case study. Am J Clin Nutr 2022; 115:1559-1568. [PMID: 35157012 PMCID: PMC9170463 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uganda has achieved a considerable reduction in childhood stunting over the past 2 decades, although accelerated action will be needed to achieve 2030 targets. OBJECTIVES This study assessed the national, community, household, and individual-level drivers of stunting decline since 2000, along with direct and indirect nutrition policies and programs that have contributed to nutrition change in Uganda. METHODS This mixed-methods study used 4 different approaches to determine the drivers of stunting change over time: 1) a scoping literature review; 2) quantitative data analyses, including Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition and difference-in-difference multivariable hierarchical modeling; 3) national- and community-level qualitative data collection and analysis; and 4) analysis of key direct and indirect nutrition policies, programs, and initiatives. RESULTS Stunting prevalence declined by 14% points from 2000 to 2016, although geographical, wealth, urban/rural, and education-based inequalities persist. Child growth curves demonstrated substantial improvements in child height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) at birth, reflecting improved maternal nutrition and intrauterine growth. The decomposition analysis explained 82% of HAZ change, with increased coverage of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs; 35%), better maternal nutrition (19%), improved maternal education (14%), and improved maternal and newborn healthcare (11%) being the most critical factors. The qualitative analysis supported these findings, and also pointed to wealth, women's empowerment, cultural norms, water and sanitation, dietary intake/diversity, and reduced childhood illness as important. The 2011 Uganda Nutrition Action Plan was an essential multisectoral strategy that shifted nutrition out of health and mainstreamed it across related sectors. CONCLUSIONS Uganda's success in stunting reduction was multifactorial, but driven largely through indirect nutrition strategies delivered outside of health. To further improve stunting, it will be critical to prioritize malaria-control strategies, including ITN distribution campaigns and prevention/treatment approaches for mothers and children, and deliberately target the poor, least educated, and rural populations along with high-burden districts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Keats
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Anushka Ataullahjan
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Muhammad Islam
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Breagh Cheng
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ahalya Somaskandan
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Erica Confreda
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel Jardine
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christina Oh
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter Waiswa
- Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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18
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Khonje MG, Ricker-Gilbert J, Muyanga M, Qaim M. Farm-level production diversity and child and adolescent nutrition in rural sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry, longitudinal study. Lancet Planet Health 2022; 6:e391-e399. [PMID: 35550078 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(22)00071-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child malnutrition remains widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural areas where many households are involved in subsistence farming. Increasing farm-level production diversity (FPD) is often considered a useful strategy to improve child diets and nutrition, but the empirical evidence is mixed. Most studies have investigated associations between FPD and dietary diversity. We therefore aimed to analyse associations between FPD and child and adolescent nutritional status. METHODS In this multicountry, longitudinal study, we used representative panel data from four countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda) to test the hypothesis that higher FPD is positively associated with child and adolescent nutritional status. The data were from the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture collected between 2008 and 2019. We included data from all children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with available anthropometric data who were living in households involved in farming activities for home consumption, market sales, or both. FPD was measured in terms of the number of different crop and livestock species and food groups produced on each farm. Child and adolescent nutritional status was measured in terms of height-for-age Z scores (HAZ). We estimated panel data regression models with correlated random effects to control for confounding factors and time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity. FINDINGS The total sample size included 50 689 child and adolescent observations. In combined models, with data from all countries included, we found one additional species produced on the farm (crop and livestock combined) was associated with a mean 0·015 SD greater child or adolescent HAZ (p<0·0001). The role of FPD tended to decrease with better market access (in more remote locations mean 0·020 SD [p<0·0001] and in less remote locations mean 0·008 SD [p=0·091]). In individual-country models, the effects were smaller and statistically insignificant in three of the four countries. Livestock diversity had larger positive associations with HAZ than crop diversity (livestock diversity effect on HAZ mean 0·085 SD [p<0·0001] and crop diversity effect on HAZ mean 0·007 SD [p=0·080]). In Tanzania and Uganda, higher crop diversity was negatively associated with child and adolescent HAZ. INTERPRETATION Our findings suggest that further farm-level diversification is not a suitable general strategy to improve child and adolescent nutrition but might be useful in some situations. Livestock production seems to be conducive for improving child and adolescent nutrition on average. Context-specific approaches need to be developed. FUNDING None.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Ricker-Gilbert
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Milu Muyanga
- MwAPATA Institute, Capital City, Lilongwe, Malawi; Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA
| | - Matin Qaim
- Center for Development Research, ZEF, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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19
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Headey DD, Ruel MT. Economic shocks predict increases in child wasting prevalence. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2157. [PMID: 35444216 PMCID: PMC9021262 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29755-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In low and middle income countries macroeconomic volatility is common, and severe negative economic shocks can substantially increase poverty and food insecurity. Less well understood are the implications of these contractions for child acute malnutrition (wasting), a major risk factor for under-5 mortality. This study explores the nutritional impacts of economic growth shocks over 1990-2018 by linking wasting outcomes collected for 1.256 million children from 52 countries to lagged annual changes in economic growth. Estimates suggest that a 10% annual decline in national income increases moderate/severe wasting prevalence by 14.4-17.8%. An exploration of possible mechanisms suggests negative economic shocks may increase risks of inadequate dietary diversity among children. Applying these results to the latest economic growth estimates for 2020 suggests that COVID-19 could put an additional 9.4 million preschoolers at risk of wasting, net of the effects of preventative policy actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek D Headey
- The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Marie T Ruel
- The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA
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20
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Timing and pattern of growth faltering in children up-to 18 months of age and the associated feeding practices in an urban setting of Sri Lanka. BMC Pediatr 2022; 22:190. [PMID: 35410168 PMCID: PMC8996519 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03265-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growth faltering is commonly encountered in breastfed infants during 4-6 months of age in low socioeconomic communities. The objective of this study was to describe the changes of growth indices with age, timing of growth faltering and its association with the feeding practices in children up-to 18 months of age. METHODS A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in 254 children aged 12 and 18 months attending an immunization clinic. Data on growth were extracted from the Child Health Development Record. Weight and length were measured using standard methods. Feeding practices were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaire. A drop of > 0.25 in weight-for-age Standard Deviation Score (SDS) from birth SDS was defined as weight faltering. RESULTS Weight faltering occurred at some point in 64.2% (n = 163) during first 18 months of life, and 78.5% of whom, had the onset ≤ 4 months of age. Majority (76.6%, n = 98) with weight for age faltering by 4 months remained so at 12 months (p = 0.497), while 29.7% (n = 38) had a weight-for-length below-2SD (p < 0.001). Prevalence of weight faltering was 50.4%, 46.1%, 48.4% and 48% at 4, 6, 9 and 12 months respectively. Exclusive breastfeeding was given at least until 4 months in 88% (n = 223) and up to 6 months in 60% (n = 153) while 92.9% (n = 236) were breastfed at 12 months, with 38.2% (n = 97) were breastfed on demand after six months. Complementary feeding (CF) was started before 6 months in 40.6% (n = 52) with early weight faltering, but only 20.3% received it with proper consistency. Breastfeeding throughout the night was significantly associated with current weight-for-length being < -1SD (OR = 1.89, CI, 1.04-3.45; p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Early growth faltering was found in this population with high exclusive breastfeeding rates and persisting growth faltering was associated with poor feeding practices. Therefore, timely individualized interventions need to be taken to improve long term growth.
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21
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Manley J, Alderman H, Gentilini U. More evidence on cash transfers and child nutritional outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Glob Health 2022; 7:bmjgh-2021-008233. [PMID: 35365481 PMCID: PMC8977747 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cash transfer (CT) programmes are an increasingly common approach to alleviate poverty and inequality and improving child health and nutrition, as well as supporting other goals such as education. Evidence indicates that CTs can be effective, but overall impacts are small in magnitude. This paper substantially updates the evidence base on the effectiveness of CTs and moderating factors. METHODS Building on a prior search done in 2018, we searched articles published between January 2018 and March 2021 using Agris, Econlit, Eldis, IBSS, IDEAS, IFPRI, Google Scholar, PubMed and World Bank databases. We included studies using quantitative impact evaluation methods of CTs with sample sizes over 300, targeted to households with children under 5 years conducted with clear counterfactuals in countries with gross domestic product below US$10 000 at baseline. We performed meta-analysis using random effects models to assess the impact of CT programme on selected child nutrition outcomes. FINDINGS Out of 1561 articles identified, 55 additional articles were eligible for inclusion for a total of 129 estimates. We find that CTs have significant although modest effects on height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) (0.024, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.044; p<0.02); stunting (-1.35%, 95% CI -2.35 to - 0.35; p<0;01); wasting (-1.31%, 95% CI -2.16% to 0.46%; p<0.01); animal-source foods (6.72%, 95% CI 5.24% to 8.20%; p<0.01); diet diversity (0.55, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.81; p<0.01) and diarrhoea incidence (- 1.74%, 95% CI -2.79% to -0.68%; p<0.05). There was no significant effect of CTs on weight-for-height (WHZ) or weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ). Well-targeted behaviour change communication was also effective in improving HAZ and decreasing the prevalence of diarrhoea. INTERPRETATION CT programmes improved linear growth among young children, reducing wasting and stunting, but effects are heterogeneous and somewhat small overall. More evidence indicates that effects on dietary diversity and the consumption of animal-source foods are increasingly pronounced.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Manley
- Economics, Towson University, Towson, Maryland, USA
| | - Harold Alderman
- Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Ugo Gentilini
- Global Lead for Social Assistance, Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice in the World Bank Group, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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22
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Adeyemi O, Toure M, Covic N, van den Bold M, Nisbett N, Headey D. Understanding drivers of stunting reduction in Nigeria from 2003 to 2018: a regression analysis. Food Secur 2022; 14:995-1011. [PMID: 35911867 PMCID: PMC9325817 DOI: 10.1007/s12571-022-01279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Nigeria is a high burden country for stunting. Stunting reduction has been slow and characterized by unequal progress across the 36 states and federal capital territory of the country. This study aimed to assess the changes in prevalence of stunting and growth determinants from 2003 to 2018, identify factors that predicted the change in stunting, and project future stunting prevalence if these predicted determinants improve. Trend and linear decomposition analyses of growth outcomes and determinants were conducted using 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data. Pooled data included 57,507 children 0 to 59 months old. Findings show that stunting and severe stunting significantly reduced from 43 to 37% and 23% to 17%, respectively (p < 0.001), between 2003 and 2018. Disturbingly, height-for-age z-scores at birth significantly decreased, indicating risks of potential future stunting increase. Improvements in nine stunting determinants (maternal body mass index, maternal height, ≥ 4 antenatal care visits, health facility delivery, reduced child illnesses, asset index, maternal education, paternal education, and preceding birth interval) predicted stunting reductions in children 0-59 months. Few of these nine determinants improved in subpopulations with limited stunting progress. Intra-sectoral and multisectoral coordination were potentially inadequate; 12% of children had received all of three selected health sector interventions along a continuum of care and 6% had received all of six selected multisector interventions. Forward looking projections suggest that increased efforts to improve the nine predictors of stunting change can reduce under-five stunting in Nigeria to ≤ 27% in the short term. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-022-01279-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olutayo Adeyemi
- Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Mariama Toure
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC USA
| | - Namukolo Covic
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC USA
- Present Address: International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Mara van den Bold
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC USA
- Present Address: Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts USA
| | | | - Derek Headey
- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC USA
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23
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Hanley‐Cook G, Argaw A, Dahal P, Chitekwe S, Kolsteren P. Infant and young child feeding practices and child linear growth in Nepal: Regression-decomposition analysis of national survey data, 1996-2016. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2022; 18 Suppl 1:e12911. [PMID: 31922348 PMCID: PMC8770650 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Suboptimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices have profound implications on child survival, health, growth, and development. First, our study analysed trends in 18 IYCF indicators and height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and stunting prevalence across Nepal's Family Health Survey 1996 and four rounds of Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys from 2001-2016. Second, we constructed multivariable regression models and decomposed the contribution of optimal IYCF practices on HAZ and stunting prevalence over the 1996-2016 period. Our findings indicate that most age-appropriate IYCF practices and child linear growth outcomes improved over the past two decades. At present, according to the World Health Organization's tool for national assessment of IYCF practices, duration of breastfeeding is rated very good, early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) are rated good, whereas minimal bottle-feeding and introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods are rated fair. Our study also reports that a paucity of age-appropriate IYCF practices-in particular complementary feeding-are significantly associated with increased HAZ and decreased probability of stunting (p < .05). Moreover, age-appropriate IYCF practices-in isolation-made modest statistical contributions to the rapid and sustained reduction in age-specific child linear growth faltering from 1996-2016. Nevertheless, our findings indicate that comprehensive multisectoral nutrition strategies-integrating and advocating optimal IYCF-are critical to further accelerate the progress against child linear growth faltering. Furthermore, specific focus is needed to improve IYCF practices that have shown no significant development over the past two decades in Nepal: EBF, minimum acceptable diet, and minimal bottle-feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giles Hanley‐Cook
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - Alemayehu Argaw
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- Department of Population and Family Health, Institute of HealthJimma UniversityJimmaEthiopia
| | - Pradiumna Dahal
- Nutrition Section, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)KathmanduNepal
| | - Stanley Chitekwe
- Nutrition Section, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)KathmanduNepal
| | - Patrick Kolsteren
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
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24
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Correa PR. Factors associated with stunting among children 0 to 59 months of age in Angola: A cross-sectional study using the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000983. [PMID: 36962819 PMCID: PMC10021435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Stunting among children under five years of age is a serious public health problem globally, with life-long consequences to health, well-being, and productivity. Stunted growth has complex and multifactorial causes, reflecting the interaction of a broad range of conditions that determine child health. The Angola 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) collected nationally representative anthropometry for 6,359 children 0 to 59 months of age in Angola, and ascertained exposure to a wide range of child, parental, socio-economic, and geographic variables. This study used a cross-sectional design to identify exposures associated with stunting among children 0 to 59 months of age in Angola, while considering the multifactorial and multi-level causes of stunting. Main outcome was prevalence of stunting, defined as proportion of children with height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) two or more standard deviations below the median. Prevalence of stunting was associated with individual, household, and area-level exposure variables, including child age and sex, birth order, birthweight, diarrhea, maternal and paternal age and education, source of water, sanitary system, and province. In conclusion, prevalence of stunting in Angola is associated with several factors previously described in the literature. Stunting is associated with exposures at the distal, intermediate, and proximal levels, in line with the framework on the causes of childhood malnutrition. This study identifies opportunities for interventions at multiple levels to decrease prevalence of stunting among children in Angola. Main limitations of this study are the potential for survival bias and residual confounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Renato Correa
- Programme in Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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25
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Skoufias E, Vinha K. Child stature, maternal education, and early childhood development in Nigeria. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260937. [PMID: 34941902 PMCID: PMC8700053 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Data from the 2016–17 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey from Nigeria are used to study the relationship between child stature, mother’s years of education, and indicators of early childhood development (ECD). The relationships are contrasted between two empirical approaches: the conventional approach whereby control variables are selected in an ad-hoc manner, and the double machine-learning (DML) approach that employs data-driven methods to select controls from a much wider set of variables and thus reducing potential omitted variable bias. Overall, the analysis confirms that maternal education and the incidence of chronic malnutrition have a significant direct effect on measures of early childhood development. The point estimates based on the ad-hoc specification tend to be larger in absolute value than those based on the DML specification. Frequently, the point estimates based on the ad-hoc specification fall inside the confidence interval of the DML point estimates, suggesting that in these cases the omitted variable bias is not serious enough to prevent making causal inferences based on the ad-hoc specification. However, there are instances where the omitted variable bias is sufficiently large for the ad hoc specification to yield a statistically significant relationship when in fact the more robust DML specification suggests there is none. The DML approach also reveals a more complex picture that highlights the role of context. In rural areas, mother’s education affects early childhood development both directly and indirectly through its impact on the nutritional status of both older and younger children. In contrast, in urban areas, where the average level of maternal education is much higher, increases in a mother’s education have only a direct effect on child ECD measures but no indirect effect through child nutrition. Thus, DML provides a practical and feasible approach to reducing threats to internal validity for robust inferences and policy design based on observational data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Skoufias
- The World Bank, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Katja Vinha
- Consultant, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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26
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Luyckx VA, Chevalier RL. Impact of early life development on later onset chronic kidney disease and hypertension and the role of evolutionary trade-offs. Exp Physiol 2021; 107:410-414. [PMID: 35037332 PMCID: PMC9306860 DOI: 10.1113/ep089918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the topic of this review? In this report, we summarize the latest clinical evidence linking developmental programming in the kidney to later life blood pressure and kidney disease. What advances does it highlight? Population-level studies now show convincingly that low birth weight, fetal growth restriction and preterm birth are associated with and have a synergistic impact on the risk of kidney disease in later life. A new approach also considers how evolutionary selection pressure might fail to select for long-term robustness of kidney function. ABSTRACT The global burden of kidney disease is high and rising. The risk of kidney disease among individuals is highly variable, in part related to genetic and environmental factors, but also likely to be modulated by developmental programming of the number of nephrons and kidney function in fetal life. The number of nephrons varies widely across the population and is lower among those who were born small or preterm. Population registry evidence clearly shows an association between these birth circumstances and later-life risk of hypertension and kidney disease, not only for chronic kidney disease but also for acquired kidney disease, demonstrating an inherent susceptibility to kidney disease in these individuals. Gestational stressors impact kidney development, a process that is likely to be layered upon the evolutionary history of the kidney and how the organ has developed in response to selection pressure to support reproductive capacity in early adulthood, but not to withstand multiple stresses later in life. Reducing the global burden of kidney disease in future generations will require both individual- and population/environment-level risks to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie A Luyckx
- Department of Nephrology, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert L Chevalier
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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27
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McMahon K, Gray C. Climate change, social vulnerability and child nutrition in South Asia. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE : HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS 2021; 71:102414. [PMID: 34898861 PMCID: PMC8653856 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent advancements in global population well-being and food security, climate change threatens to undermine child nutritional health, particularly for marginalized populations in tropical low- and middle-income countries. South Asia is at particular risk for climate-driven undernutrition due to a combination of historical weather exposures, existing nutritional deficits, and a lack of sanitation access. Previous studies have established that precipitation extremes increase rates of undernutrition in this region, but the existing literature lacks adequate consideration of temperature anomalies, mediating social factors, and the developmentally-relevant timing of exposure. We combine high-resolution temperature and precipitation data with large-sample survey data on household demographics and child anthropometry, using an approach that incorporates three key developmental periods and a rigorous fixed effects design. We find that precipitation extremes in the first year of life significantly decrease children's height-for-age (HAZ) in South Asia. The detrimental effects of extreme precipitation are especially concentrated in under-resourced households, such as those lacking access to proper sanitation and education for women, while anomalous heat is particularly harmful for children in Pakistan, though it tends to benefit children in some demographic groups. These results indicate that nutritional status in South Asia is highly responsive to climate exposures, and that addressing sanitation infrastructure and other development priorities is a pathway towards reducing this vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn McMahon
- Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States
| | - Clark Gray
- Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
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28
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Ickes SB, Craig C, Heidkamp R. Design Factors for Food Supplementation and Nutrition Education Interventions That Limit Conclusions about Effectiveness for Wasting Prevention: A Scoping Review of Peer-Reviewed Literature. Adv Nutr 2021; 13:328-341. [PMID: 34666351 PMCID: PMC8803494 DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmab107] [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: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We conducted a scoping review to characterize the evidence base for the effectiveness of food supplementation (FS), nutrition education (NE), or FS/NE interventions to prevent wasting among children aged 6 to 59 mo. We aimed to identify gaps in peer-reviewed literature and to develop recommendations for strengthening study designs. We identified 56 unique studies (FS = 21, NE = 19, FS/NE = 16) for which we assessed intervention design factors, implementation context, evaluation methods, and wasting impact. Compared with studies focused on stunting, fewer wasting-focused studies reported weight-for-height z score (WHZ). Midupper arm circumference (MUAC) was more commonly reported in wasting-focused studies (71.4%) than those focused on stunting (36.8%) or wasting and stunting (30.4%). FS studies measured anthropometry (mean, 95% CI) more frequently at every 11.3 (7.8, 14.8) wk than NE interventions at 36.3 (8.8, 62.1) wk (P = 0.036), but not FS/NE interventions at 25.8 (5.6, 49.1) wk (P = 0.138). NE interventions tended to be of longer duration than FS or FS/NE interventions. Only 6 studies followed and measured children after the intervention period ended. Across all studies, 45% reported a significant effect on wasting; these included FS, NE, and FS/NE interventions. The lack of comparability across studies limits conclusions about the effectiveness of specific types of interventions. To build a more unified evidence base for wasting prevention we recommend that future studies 1) report on a consistent set of metrics, including MUAC; 2) attempt to measure change in wasting incidence using more frequent measures; 3) measure wasting prevalence among the general population; 4) follow children postintervention to assess relapse; 5) measure food insecurity and diet quality; and 6) use harmonized protocols across multiple settings. Such efforts to improve study comparability will strengthen the evidence base, may help unite divergent professional communities, and ultimately accelerate progress toward eliminating child undernutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca Heidkamp
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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29
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Cliffer IR, Masters WA, Perumal N, Naumova EN, Zeba AN, Garanet F, Rogers BL. Monthly measurement of child lengths between 6 and 27 months of age in Burkina Faso reveals both chronic and episodic growth faltering. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 115:94-104. [PMID: 34637506 PMCID: PMC8755055 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Linear growth faltering is determined primarily by attained heights in infancy, but available data consist mainly of cross-sectional heights at each age. OBJECTIVES This study used longitudinal data to test whether faltering occurs episodically in a few months of very low growth, which could potentially be prevented by timely intervention, or is a chronic condition with slower growth in every month of infancy and early childhood. METHODS Using anthropometric data collected monthly between August 2014 and December 2016, we investigated individual growth curves of 5039 children ages 6-27 mo in Burkina Faso (108,580 observations). We evaluated growth-curve smoothness by level of attained length at ∼27 mo by analyzing variation in changes in monthly growth rates and using 2-stage regressions: 1) regressing each child's length on their age and extracting R2 to represent curve smoothness, initial length, and average velocity by age; and 2) regressing extracted parameters on individual-level attained length. RESULTS Short children started smaller and remained on their initial trajectories, continuously growing slower than taller children. Growth between 9 and 11 mo was the most influential on attained length; for each 1-cm/mo increase in growth velocity during this period, attained length increased by 6.71 cm (95% CI: 6.59, 6.83 cm). Furthermore, a 0.01 increase in R2 from individual regression of length on age was associated with a 3.10-cm higher attained length (95% CI: 2.80, 3.41 cm), and having 2 consecutive months of slow growth (<15th centile relative to the sample) was associated with 1.7-cm lower attained length (95% CI: -1.80, -1.59 cm), with larger effects in younger children, suggesting that smoother growth patterns were also associated with higher attained length. CONCLUSIONS Children who experience extreme growth faltering are likely less resilient to systematic growth-limiting conditions as well as episodic insults to their growth.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02071563.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William A Masters
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nandita Perumal
- Global Health and Population Department, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elena N Naumova
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Augustin N Zeba
- Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Research Institute, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Franck Garanet
- Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Research Institute, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Beatrice L Rogers
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
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30
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Anttila-Hughes JK, Jina AS, McCord GC. ENSO impacts child undernutrition in the global tropics. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5785. [PMID: 34642319 PMCID: PMC8511020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a principal component of global climate variability known to influence a host of social and economic outcomes, but its systematic effects on human health remain poorly understood. We estimate ENSO's association with child nutrition at global scale by combining variation in ENSO intensity from 1986-2018 with children's height and weight from 186 surveys conducted in 51 teleconnected countries, containing 48% of the world's under-5 population. Warmer El Niño conditions predict worse child undernutrition in most of the developing world, but better outcomes in the small number of areas where precipitation is positively affected by warmer ENSO. ENSO's contemporaneous effects on child weight loss are detectable years later as decreases in height. This relationship looks similar at both global and regional scale, and has not appreciably weakened over the last four decades. Results imply that almost 6 million additional children were underweight during the 2015 El Niño compared to a counterfactual of neutral ENSO conditions in 2015. This demonstrates a pathway through which human well-being remains subject to predictable climatic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amir S Jina
- Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Gordon C McCord
- School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
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31
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Donkor WES, Adu-Afarwuah S, Wegmüller R, Bentil H, Petry N, Rohner F, Wirth JP. Complementary Feeding Indicators in Relation to Micronutrient Status of Ghanaian Children Aged 6-23 Months: Results from a National Survey. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:969. [PMID: 34575118 PMCID: PMC8468967 DOI: 10.3390/life11090969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Optimal complementary feeding is critical for adequate growth and development in infants and young children. The associations between complementary feeding and growth have been studied well, but less is known about the relationship between complementary feeding and micronutrient status. METHODS Using data from a national cross-sectional survey conducted in Ghana in 2017, we examined how multiple WHO-recommended complementary feeding indicators relate to anemia and the micronutrient status of children aged 6-23 months. RESULTS In total, 42%, 38%, and 14% of the children met the criteria for minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD), respectively. In addition, 71% and 52% of the children consumed iron-rich foods and vitamin A-rich foods, respectively. The prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency (ID), iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was 46%, 45%, 27%, and 10%, respectively. Inverse associations between MMF and socio-economic status were found, and MMF was associated with an increased risk of ID (55%; p < 0.013) and IDA (38%; p < 0.002). CONCLUSION The pathways connecting complementary feeding and micronutrient status are complex. Findings related to MMF should be further investigated to ensure that complementary feeding programs account for the potential practice of frequent feeding with nutrient-poor foods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Seth Adu-Afarwuah
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG 25, Ghana; (S.A.-A.); (H.B.)
| | - Rita Wegmüller
- GroundWork, 7306 Fläsch, Switzerland; (R.W.); (N.P.); (F.R.); (J.P.W.)
| | - Helena Bentil
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG 25, Ghana; (S.A.-A.); (H.B.)
| | - Nicolai Petry
- GroundWork, 7306 Fläsch, Switzerland; (R.W.); (N.P.); (F.R.); (J.P.W.)
| | - Fabian Rohner
- GroundWork, 7306 Fläsch, Switzerland; (R.W.); (N.P.); (F.R.); (J.P.W.)
| | - James P. Wirth
- GroundWork, 7306 Fläsch, Switzerland; (R.W.); (N.P.); (F.R.); (J.P.W.)
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32
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Pontzer H, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, Ainslie PN, Andersen LF, Anderson LJ, Arab L, Baddou I, Bedu-Addo K, Blaak EE, Blanc S, Bonomi AG, Bouten CVC, Bovet P, Buchowski MS, Butte NF, Camps SG, Close GL, Cooper JA, Cooper R, Das SK, Dugas LR, Ekelund U, Entringer S, Forrester T, Fudge BW, Goris AH, Gurven M, Hambly C, El Hamdouchi A, Hoos MB, Hu S, Joonas N, Joosen AM, Katzmarzyk P, Kempen KP, Kimura M, Kraus WE, Kushner RF, Lambert EV, Leonard WR, Lessan N, Martin C, Medin AC, Meijer EP, Morehen JC, Morton JP, Neuhouser ML, Nicklas TA, Ojiambo RM, Pietiläinen KH, Pitsiladis YP, Plange-Rhule J, Plasqui G, Prentice RL, Rabinovich RA, Racette SB, Raichlen DA, Ravussin E, Reynolds RM, Roberts SB, Schuit AJ, Sjödin AM, Stice E, Urlacher SS, Valenti G, Van Etten LM, Van Mil EA, Wells JCK, Wilson G, Wood BM, Yanovski J, Yoshida T, Zhang X, Murphy-Alford AJ, Loechl C, Luke AH, Rood J, Schoeller DA, Westerterp KR, Wong WW, Speakman JR. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science 2021; 373:808-812. [PMID: 34385400 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe5017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Total daily energy expenditure ("total expenditure") reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, but its trajectory over the life course is poorly studied. We analyzed a large, diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass in a power-law manner, with four distinct life stages. Fat-free mass-adjusted expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates to ~50% above adult values at ~1 year; declines slowly to adult levels by ~20 years; remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy; then declines in older adults. These changes shed light on human development and aging and should help shape nutrition and health strategies across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. .,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yosuke Yamada
- Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan. .,National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sagayama
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Philip N Ainslie
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lene F Andersen
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Liam J Anderson
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Crewe Alexandra Football Club, Crewe, UK
| | - Lenore Arab
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Issaad Baddou
- Unité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN-Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Kweku Bedu-Addo
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Stephane Blanc
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS Université de Strasbourg, UMR7178, France
| | | | | | - Pascal Bovet
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maciej S Buchowski
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutritiion, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nancy F Butte
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Graeme L Close
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jamie A Cooper
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Richard Cooper
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Sai Krupa Das
- Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Lara R Dugas
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Ulf Ekelund
- Department of Sport Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany.,School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Terrence Forrester
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Barry W Fudge
- Department of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Asmaa El Hamdouchi
- Unité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN-Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Sumei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Noorjehan Joonas
- Central Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Candos, Mauritius
| | | | | | | | - Misaka Kimura
- Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Robert F Kushner
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Estelle V Lambert
- Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre (HPALS), Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (ESSM), FIMS International Collaborating Centre of Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Nader Lessan
- Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Corby Martin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Anine C Medin
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway.,Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway
| | | | - James C Morehen
- The FA Group, Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.,Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - James P Morton
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marian L Neuhouser
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Teresa A Nicklas
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert M Ojiambo
- Kenya School of Medicine, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.,Rwanda Division of Basic Sciences, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda
| | | | - Yannis P Pitsiladis
- School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, Eastbourne, UK
| | - Jacob Plange-Rhule
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Guy Plasqui
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Ross L Prentice
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Susan B Racette
- Program in Physical Therapy and Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David A Raichlen
- Biological Sciences and Anthropology, University of Southern California, CA, USA
| | - Eric Ravussin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Rebecca M Reynolds
- Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Susan B Roberts
- Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Albertine J Schuit
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Anders M Sjödin
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Eric Stice
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA
| | | | - Giulio Valenti
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Phillips Research, Eindoven, Netherlands
| | | | - Edgar A Van Mil
- Maastricht University, Maastricht and Lifestyle Medicine Center for Children, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
| | - Jonathan C K Wells
- Population, Policy, and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - George Wilson
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Brian M Wood
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jack Yanovski
- Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tsukasa Yoshida
- National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.,State Key Laboratory of Molecular developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Alexia J Murphy-Alford
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cornelia Loechl
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Amy H Luke
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA.
| | - Jennifer Rood
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - Dale A Schoeller
- Biotech Center and Nutritional Sciences University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Klaas R Westerterp
- Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - William W Wong
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - John R Speakman
- Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. .,Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.,State Key Laboratory of Molecular developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center of Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, China
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33
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Singh P, Shah M, Bruckner TA. Child Undernutrition following the Introduction of a Large-Scale Toilet Construction Campaign in India. J Nutr 2021; 151:2455-2464. [PMID: 34143878 PMCID: PMC8436001 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lack of toilets and the widespread practice of open defecation may contribute to India's large burden of child undernutrition. OBJECTIVES We examine whether a large national sanitation campaign launched in 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), precedes a reduction in stunting and wasting among under 5-y-old (u5) children in India. METHODS In this observational study, we used district-level data from before (2013-2014) and after (2015-2016) SBM from 3 national surveys to derive, as our outcomes, the percentage of u5 children per district who are stunted and wasted. We defined our exposures as 1) binary indicator of SBM and 2) percentage of households with toilets per district. Our analytic sample comprised nearly all 640 Indian districts (with ∼1200 rural/urban divisions per district per time point). Linear regression analyses controlled for baseline differences in districts, linear time trends by state, and relevant covariates. RESULTS Relative to pre-SBM, u5 stunting declines by 0.06% (95% CI: -0.10, -0.01; P = 0.009) with every percentage increase in households with toilets post-SBM. Rural regions and districts with higher pre-SBM toilet availability show greater decline in u5 stunting post-SBM. CONCLUSIONS An increase in toilet availability on a national scale, precipitated by the SBM sanitation campaign, is associated with a reduction in undernutrition among u5 children in India over the early phase of the campaign.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvati Singh
- Program in Public Health, University of
California, Irvine, Irvine, CA,
USA
| | - Manisha Shah
- Department of Public Policy, Luskin School of Public Affairs,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tim A Bruckner
- Program in Public Health, University of
California, Irvine, Irvine, CA,
USA
- Center for Population, Inequality and Policy, University of
California, Irvine, Irvine, CA,
USA
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34
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Madzorera I, Ghosh S, Wang M, Fawzi W, Isanaka S, Hertzmark E, Namirembe G, Bashaasha B, Agaba E, Turyashemererwa F, Webb P, Duggan C. Prenatal dietary diversity may influence underweight in infants in a Ugandan birth-cohort. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2021; 17:e13127. [PMID: 33595899 PMCID: PMC8189249 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Growth faltering in early childhood is prevalent in many low resource countries. Poor maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy has been linked with increased risk of fetal growth failure and adverse birth outcomes but may also influence subsequent infant growth. Our aim is to assess the role of prenatal maternal dietary diversity in infant growth in rural Uganda. Data from 3291 women and infant pairs enrolled in a birth cohort from 2014 to 2016 were analysed (NCT04233944). Maternal diets were assessed using dietary recall in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy. Maternal dietary diversity scores (DDS) were calculated using the FAO Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W). Cox regression models were used to evaluate associations of the DDS with the incidence of underweight, stunting and wasting in infants from 3 to 12 months, adjusting for confounding factors. The median DDS for women was low, at 3.0 (interquartile range 3.0-4.0), relative to the threshold of consuming five or more food groups daily. Infants of women in highest quartile of DDS (diverse diets) were less likely to be underweight (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.70, 95% confidence interval: 0.61, 0.80) compared with infants of women in Quartile 1 (p for trend <0.001) in models controlling for maternal factors. There was no significant association between DDS and stunting or wasting. Our findings suggest a relationship between higher maternal dietary diversity and lower risk of underweight in infancy. These findings suggest that programmes to improve infant growth could additionally consider strengthening prenatal dietary diversity to improve child outcomes globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Madzorera
- Department of NutritionHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Shibani Ghosh
- Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
- USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for NutritionTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Molin Wang
- Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Channing Division of Network MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Wafaie Fawzi
- Department of NutritionHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Global Health and PopulationHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sheila Isanaka
- Department of NutritionHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Global Health and PopulationHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Ellen Hertzmark
- Department of Global Health and PopulationHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Grace Namirembe
- Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Bernard Bashaasha
- Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics, College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - Edgar Agaba
- USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for NutritionTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Florence Turyashemererwa
- Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics, College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - Patrick Webb
- Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
- USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for NutritionTufts UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Christopher Duggan
- Department of NutritionHarvard TH Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and NutritionBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
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35
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Dembélé B, Amadou Sanni M. Retard de croissance et retard de développement chez les enfants d’Afrique sub-saharienne. ENFANCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3917/enf2.212.0177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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36
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Gasparinho C, Kanjungo A, Zage F, Clemente I, Santos-Reis A, Brito M, Sousa-Figueiredo JC, Fortes F, Gonçalves L. Impact of Annual Albendazole versus Four-Monthly Test-and-Treat Approach of Intestinal Parasites on Children Growth-A Longitudinal Four-Arm Randomized Parallel Trial during Two Years of a Community Follow-Up in Bengo, Angola. Pathogens 2021; 10:309. [PMID: 33799921 PMCID: PMC8001871 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition and intestinal parasites continue to have serious impacts on growth and cognitive development of children in Angola. A longitudinal four-arm randomized parallel trial was conducted to investigate if deworming with a single annual dose of albendazole (annual-ALB) or a four-monthly test-and-treat (4TT) intestinal parasites approach at individual or household levels improve nutritional outcomes of pre-school children in Bengo province. Children with intestinal parasites (n = 121) were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to arm A1: annual-ALB*individual level; A2: annual-ALB*household level; A3: 4TT*individual; and A4: 4TT*household level. At baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 months of follow-up, growth was assessed by height, weight, height-for-age, weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and mid-upper arm circumference. Intention-to-treat analysis was done using non-parametric approach, mixed effect models, and generalized estimating equations (GEE). Initially, 57% and 26% of the children were infected by Giardia lamblia and Ascaris lumbricoides, respectively. This study did not show that a 4TT intestinal parasites approach results on better growth outcomes of children (height, weight, HAZ, WAZ, WHZ and MUACZ) when compared with annual ALB, with exception of height and WHZ using GEE model at 5% level. Positive temporal effects on most nutrition outcomes were observed. Implementing a longitudinal study in a poor setting is challenging and larger sample sizes and 'pure and clean' data are difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, learned lessons from this intensive study may contribute to future scientific research and to tailor multidisciplinary approaches to minimize malnutrition and infections in resource-poor countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Gasparinho
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.S.-R.); (F.F.)
| | - Aguinaldo Kanjungo
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
| | - Félix Zage
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
| | - Isabel Clemente
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
| | - Ana Santos-Reis
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.S.-R.); (F.F.)
| | - Miguel Brito
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
- Health and Technology Research Center (H&TRC), Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José Carlos Sousa-Figueiredo
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Angola (CISA), Rua Direita de Caxito, Caxito, Angola; (A.K.); (F.Z.); (I.C.); (M.B.); (J.C.S.-F.)
| | - Filomeno Fortes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.S.-R.); (F.F.)
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola
| | - Luzia Gonçalves
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.S.-R.); (F.F.)
- Centro de Estatística e Aplicações da Universidade de Lisboa (CEAUL), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
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37
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Naumenko DJ, Dykes J, O'Connor GK, Stanley Z, Affara N, Doel AM, Drammeh S, Dunger DB, Faal A, Ong KK, Sosseh F, Prentice AM, Moore SE, Bernstein RM. A Novel method for the identification and quantification of weight faltering. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175:282-291. [PMID: 33386624 PMCID: PMC8247282 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective We describe a new method for identifying and quantifying the magnitude and rate of short‐term weight faltering episodes, and assess how (a) these episodes relate to broader growth outcomes, and (b) different data collection intervals influence the quantification of weight faltering. Materials and methods We apply this method to longitudinal growth data collected every other day across the first year of life in Gambian infants (n = 124, males = 65, females = 59). Weight faltering episodes are identified from velocity peaks and troughs. Rate of weight loss and regain, maximum weight loss, and duration of each episode were calculated. We systematically reduced our dataset to mimic various potential measurement intervals, to assess how these intervals affect the ability to derive information about short‐term weight faltering episodes. We fit linear models to test whether metrics associated with growth faltering were associated with growth outcomes at 1 year, and generalized additive mixed models to determine whether different collection intervals influence episode identification and metrics. Results Three hundred weight faltering episodes from 119 individuals were identified. The number and magnitude of episodes negatively impacted growth outcomes at 1 year. As data collection interval increases, weight faltering episodes are missed and the duration of episodes is overestimated, resulting in the rate of weight loss and regain being underestimated. Conclusions This method identifies and quantifies short‐term weight faltering episodes, that are in turn negatively associated with growth outcomes. This approach offers a tool for investigators interested in understanding how short‐term weight faltering relates to longer‐term outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Naumenko
- Growth and Development Lab, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA.,Health and Society Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - James Dykes
- Health and Society Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - G Kesler O'Connor
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Zofia Stanley
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Nabeel Affara
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew M Doel
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Saikou Drammeh
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - David B Dunger
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.,Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Abdoulie Faal
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Ken K Ong
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.,MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fatou Sosseh
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Andrew M Prentice
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Sophie E Moore
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK.,MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Robin M Bernstein
- Growth and Development Lab, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA.,Health and Society Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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38
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Thiede BC, Strube J. Climate Variability and Child Nutrition: Findings from Sub-Saharan Africa. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE : HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS 2020; 65:102192. [PMID: 34789965 PMCID: PMC8594912 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Climatic variability affects many underlying determinants of child malnutrition, including food availability, access, and utilization. Evidence of the effects of changing temperatures and precipitation on children's nutritional status nonetheless remains limited. Research addressing this knowledge gap is merited given the short- and long-run consequences of malnutrition. We address this issue by estimating the effects of temperature and precipitation anomalies on the weight and wasting status of children ages 0-59 months across 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Linear regression models show that high temperatures and low precipitation are associated with reductions in child weight, and that high temperatures also lead to increased risk of wasting. We find little evidence of substantively meaningful differences in these effects across sub-populations of interest. Our results underscore the vulnerability of young children to climatic variability and its second-order economic and epidemiological effects. The study also highlights the corresponding need to design and assess interventions to effectively mitigate these impacts.
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39
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Rakotomanana H, Hildebrand D, Gates GE, Thomas DG, Fawbush F, Stoecker BJ. Maternal Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Complementary Feeding and Child Undernutrition in the Vakinankaratra Region of Madagascar: A Mixed-Methods Study. Curr Dev Nutr 2020; 4:nzaa162. [PMID: 33274306 PMCID: PMC7695809 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzaa162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data are limited on how feeding knowledge and practices relate to child undernutrition in the highlands of Madagascar. OBJECTIVES This study assessed maternal knowledge and practices of complementary feeding and their associations with anthropometrics of children aged 6-23 mo in the Vakinankaratra region of Madagascar. METHODS Knowledge was assessed using WHO recommendations on child feeding, and WHO infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators were used to evaluate feeding practices. Child growth was measured as length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length z-scores using the 2006 WHO growth standards. A z-score less than -2 was classified as child undernutrition. Logistic regression models were used to determine associations between independent variables and outcomes. Focus group discussions among mothers and in-depth interviews with key informants were conducted; barriers and facilitators of optimal feeding practices were identified using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS Maternal knowledge scores regarding child feeding averaged 6.4 of 11. Better knowledge scores were associated with higher odds of appropriate complementary feeding practices before and after covariate adjustments. The proportions of children achieving the minimum dietary diversity (35.8%), minimum acceptable diet (30.2%), and consuming meat, fish, and poultry (14.1%) were low. Only consumption of iron-rich foods was associated with lower odds of underweight (adjusted OR = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.7; P < 0.05). None of the IYCF indicators were associated significantly with stunting or wasting. Maternal attitudes about complementary foods, as well as mothers' workload and very low income, were identified as barriers to optimal feeding practices. Maternal perceived benefits of giving appropriate complementary foods as well as their positive relationship with the community health workers were the main facilitators of optimal child feeding. CONCLUSIONS Integrated nutrition-sensitive interventions addressing these barriers while enhancing the facilitators are critical in promoting better feeding practices in the Vakinankaratra region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasina Rakotomanana
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Deana Hildebrand
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Gail E Gates
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - David G Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Fanjaniaina Fawbush
- Department of Agricultural and Food Science and Technology, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Barbara J Stoecker
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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40
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Akseer N, Vaivada T, Rothschild O, Ho K, Bhutta ZA. Understanding multifactorial drivers of child stunting reduction in Exemplar countries: a mixed-methods approach. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 112:792S-805S. [PMID: 32649742 PMCID: PMC7487431 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several countries have notably reduced childhood stunting relative to economic growth over the past 15-20 y. The Exemplars in Stunting Reduction project, or "Exemplars," studies success factors among these countries with a lens toward replicability. OBJECTIVES This paper details the standardized mixed-methods framework for studying determinants of childhood stunting reduction applied in Exemplars studies. METHODS An expert technical advisory group (TAG), criteria for identifying Exemplar countries, evidence-based frameworks, mixed methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, policy, literature review), effective research partnerships, case study process and timeline, and data triangulation and corroboration are presented. RESULTS Experts in health, nutrition, and evaluation methods were selected at the study outset to provide technical support to all phases of research (TAG). Exemplar countries were selected by the TAG, who considered quantitative data (e.g., annual rates of stunting change compared with economic growth, country population size) and qualitative insights (e.g., logistics of country work, political stability). Experienced country research partners were selected and an inception meeting with stakeholder consultations was held to launch research and garner support. Evidence-based conceptual frameworks underpinned all Exemplars research activities. A systematic review of published peer-reviewed and grey literature was undertaken, along with in-depth policy and program analysis of nutrition-specific and -sensitive investments. Both descriptive and advanced quantitative analysis was undertaken (e.g., equity analyses, difference-in-difference regression, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition). Qualitative data collection using in-depth interviews and focus groups was conducted with national and community stakeholders (i.e., child care workers and mothers) to understand country experiences. The case study process was iterative, and all research outputs were triangulated to develop the stunting reduction narrative for each country. Findings were shared with country experts for weigh-in and corroboration through dissemination events. CONCLUSIONS Exemplars research uses a mixed-methods framework for studying positive outliers that can be applied across diverse health and development outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Akseer
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Tyler Vaivada
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Kevin Ho
- Gates Ventures, Kirkland, Washington, USA
| | - Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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Wigle JM, Akseer N, Mogilevskii R, Brar S, Conway K, Enikeeva Z, Iamshchikova M, Islam M, Kirbasheva D, Rappaport AI, Tasic H, Vaivada T, Bhutta ZA. Drivers of stunting reduction in the Kyrgyz Republic: A country case study. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 112:830S-843S. [PMID: 32672334 PMCID: PMC7487426 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic malnutrition among infants and children continues to represent a global public health concern. The Kyrgyz Republic has achieved rapid declines in stunting over the last 20 y, despite modest increases in gross domestic product per capita. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to conduct a systematic, in-depth assessment of national, community, household, and individual drivers of nutrition change and stunting reduction, as well as nutrition-specific and -sensitive policies and programs, in the Kyrgyz Republic. METHODS This mixed methods study employed 4 inquiry methods, including: 1) a systematic scoping literature review; 2) retrospective quantitative data analyses, including linear regression multivariable hierarchical modeling, difference-in-difference analysis, and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition; 3) qualitative data collection and analysis; and 4) analysis of key nutrition-specific and -sensitive policies and programs. RESULTS Stunting prevalence has decreased in the Kyrgyz Republic, however, subnational variations and inequities persist. Child growth Victora curves show improvements in height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) for children in the Kyrgyz Republic between 1997 and 2014, indicating increased intrauterine growth and population health improvements. The decomposition analysis explained 88.9% (0.637 SD increase) of the predicted change in HAZ for children under 3 y (1997-2012). Key factors included poverty (61%), maternal nutrition (14%), paternal education (6%), fertility (6%), maternal age (3%), and wealth accumulation (2%). Qualitative analysis revealed poverty reduction, increased migration and remittances, food security, and maternal nutrition as key drivers of stunting decline. Systematic scoping literature review findings supported quantitative and qualitative results, and indicated that land reforms and improved food security represented important factors. Key nutrition-specific and -sensitive policies and programs implemented involved breastfeeding promotion, social protection schemes, and land and health sector reforms. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in stunting were achieved amidst political and economic changes. Multilevel enablers, including poverty reduction, improved food security, and introduction of land and health reforms have contributed to improvements in health, nutrition, and stunting among children in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannah M Wigle
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nadia Akseer
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Roman Mogilevskii
- Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
| | - Samanpreet Brar
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kaitlin Conway
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zalina Enikeeva
- Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
| | - Mariia Iamshchikova
- Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
| | - Muhammad Islam
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Dilbara Kirbasheva
- Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
| | - Aviva I Rappaport
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Hana Tasic
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Tyler Vaivada
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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Conway K, Akseer N, Subedi RK, Brar S, Bhattarai B, Dhungana RR, Islam M, Mainali A, Pradhan N, Tasic H, Thakur DN, Wigle J, Maskey M, Bhutta ZA. Drivers of stunting reduction in Nepal: a country case study. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 112:844S-859S. [PMID: 32889522 PMCID: PMC7487432 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic child malnutrition represents a serious global health concern. Over the last several decades, Nepal has seen a significant decline in linear growth stunting - a physical manifestation of chronic malnutrition - despite only modest economic growth and significant political instability. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to conduct an in-depth assessment of the determinants of stunting reduction in Nepal from 1996 to 2016, with specific attention paid to national-, community-, household-, and individual-level factors, as well as relevant nutrition-specific and -sensitive initiatives rolled out within the country. METHODS Using a mixed-methods approach, 4 types of inquiry were employed: 1) a systematic review of published peer-reviewed and gray literature; 2) retrospective quantitative data analyses using Demographic and Health Surveys from 1996 to 2016; 3) a review of key nutrition-specific and -sensitive policies and programs; and 4) retrospective qualitative data collection and analyses. RESULTS Mean height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) improved by 0.94 SDs from 1996 to 2016. Subnational variation and socioeconomic inequalities in stunting outcomes persisted, with the latter widening over time. Decomposition analysis for children aged under 5 y explained 90.9% of the predicted change in HAZ, with key factors including parental education (24.7%), maternal nutrition (19.3%), reduced open defecation (12.3%), maternal and newborn health care (11.5%), and economic improvement (9.0%). Key initiatives focused on decentralizing the health system and mobilizing community health workers to increase accessibility; long-standing nationwide provision of basic health interventions; targeted efforts to improve maternal and child health; and the prioritization of nutrition-sensitive initiatives by both government and donors. National and community stakeholders and mothers at village level highlighted a mixture of poverty reduction, access to health services, improved education, and increased access to water, sanitation, and hygiene as drivers of stunting reduction. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive sectors have been critical to Nepal's stunting decline, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, health, education, and sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin Conway
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nadia Akseer
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Samanpreet Brar
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | - Muhammad Islam
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | - Hana Tasic
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Jannah Wigle
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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Abiyu C, Belachew T. Effect of complementary feeding behavior change communication delivered through community-level actors on dietary adequacy of infants in rural communities of West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238355. [PMID: 32881945 PMCID: PMC7470293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attaining the recommended level of adequacy of the infant's diet remains a serious challenge in most developing countries. Complementary foods, particularly in developing countries, are inadequate in quality and quantity that can result in adverse health and nutrition consequences in infants. This could be not only because of lack of food but also associated with caregiver's poor knowledge, harmful cultural norms and behaviors on infant feeding. The promotion of optimal complementary feeding through behavior change interventions is a global health priority. However, many of the interventions targeted only mothers/caregivers of infants, and studies that engaged other family members are limited worldwide. Moreover, such interventions are scarce in developing countries, including Ethiopia. This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of complementary feeding behavior change communication delivered through community-level actors on the dietary adequacy of infants. METHODS We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural communities of West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Trial participants in the intervention clusters received complementary feeding behavior change communication for 9 months whereas those in the control clusters received only the usual care. Trained women development army leaders delivered the intervention. A pre-tested, structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Generalized estimating equations regression analyses adjusted for baseline covariates and clustering were used to test the intervention effects. RESULTS The intervention showed positive statistically significant effects on the consumption of dairy products [RR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.04-3.13], eggs [RR = 3; 95% CI: 1.35-6.56], vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables [RR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.17-6.1], other fruits and vegetables [RR = 5; 95% CI: 2.49-10.58] and animal-source foods [RR = 2; 95% CI: 1.39-2.87]. The proportions of infants who achieved minimum dietary diversity [RR = 3; 95% CI: 1.34, 7.39], minimum meal frequency [RR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.37-4.29], and minimum acceptable diet [RR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.13-7.23] were significantly higher in the intervention as compared to control groups. CONCLUSIONS Complementary feeding behavior change communication delivered through community-level actors significantly improved the dietary adequacy of infants. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03488680. Registered 5 April 2018- Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03488680.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chalachew Abiyu
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
| | - Tefera Belachew
- Faculty of Public Health, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
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Tasic H, Akseer N, Gebreyesus SH, Ataullahjan A, Brar S, Confreda E, Conway K, Endris BS, Islam M, Keats E, Mohammedsanni A, Wigle J, Bhutta ZA. Drivers of stunting reduction in Ethiopia: a country case study. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 112:875S-893S. [PMID: 32844167 PMCID: PMC7487434 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic undernutrition in children continues to be a global public health concern. Ethiopia has documented a significant decline in the prevalence of childhood stunting, a measure of chronic undernutrition, over the last 20 y. OBJECTIVES The aim of this research was to conduct a systematic assessment of the determinants that have driven child stunting reduction in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2016, focused on the national, community, household, and individual level. METHODS This study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Specifically, a systematic literature review, retrospective quantitative data analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys from 2000-2016, qualitative data collection and analysis, and analyses of key nutrition-specific and -sensitive policies and programs were undertaken. RESULTS National stunting prevalence improved from 51% in 2000 to 32% in 2016. Regional variations exist, as do pro-rich, pro-urban, and pro-educated inequalities. Child height-for-age z score (HAZ) decomposition explained >100% of predicted change in mean HAZ between 2000 and 2016, with key factors including increases in total consumable crop yield (32% of change), increased number of health workers (28%), reduction in open defecation (13%), parental education (10%), maternal nutrition (5%), economic improvement (4%), and reduced diarrhea incidence (4%). Policies and programs that were key to stunting decline focused on promoting rural agriculture to improve food security; decentralization of the health system, incorporating health extension workers to improve rural access to health services and reduce open defecation; multisectoral poverty reduction strategies; and a commitment to improving girls' education. Interviews with national and regional stakeholders and mothers in communities presented improvements in health service access, women and girls' education, improved agricultural production, and improved sanitation and child care practices as drivers of stunting reduction. CONCLUSIONS Ethiopia's stunting decline was driven by both nutrition-specific and -sensitive sectors, with particular focus on the agriculture sector, health care access, sanitation, and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Tasic
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nadia Akseer
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Seifu H Gebreyesus
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Anushka Ataullahjan
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Samanpreet Brar
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erica Confreda
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kaitlin Conway
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bilal S Endris
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Muhammad Islam
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Keats
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Afrah Mohammedsanni
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Jannah Wigle
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Dietary Complex and Slow Digestive Carbohydrates Prevent Fat Deposits During Catch-Up Growth in Rats. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12092568. [PMID: 32854204 PMCID: PMC7551611 DOI: 10.3390/nu12092568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A nutritional growth retardation study, which closely resembles the nutritional observations in children who consumed insufficient total energy to maintain normal growth, was conducted. In this study, a nutritional stress in weanling rats placed on restricted balanced diet for 4 weeks is produced, followed by a food recovery period of 4 weeks using two enriched diets that differ mainly in the slow (SDC) or fast (RDC) digestibility and complexity of their carbohydrates. After re-feeding with the RDC diet, animals showed the negative effects of an early caloric restriction: an increase in adiposity combined with poorer muscle performance, insulin resistance and, metabolic inflexibility. These effects were avoided by the SDC diet, as was evidenced by a lower adiposity associated with a decrease in fatty acid synthase expression in adipose tissue. The improved muscle performance of the SDC group was based on an increase in myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) and creatine kinase as markers of muscle differentiation as well as better insulin sensitivity, enhanced glucose uptake, and increased metabolic flexibility. In the liver, the SDC diet promoted glycogen storage and decreased fatty acid synthesis. Therefore, the SDC diet prevents the catch-up fat phenotype through synergistic metabolic adaptations in adipose tissue, muscle, and liver. These coordinated adaptations lead to better muscle performance and a decrease in the fat/lean ratio in animals, which could prevent long-term negative metabolic alterations such as obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and liver fat deposits later in life.
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Thiede BC, Gray C. Climate exposures and child undernutrition: Evidence from Indonesia. Soc Sci Med 2020; 265:113298. [PMID: 32932006 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Global climate change has the potential to disrupt agricultural systems, undermine household socioeconomic status, and shape the prevalence and distribution of diseases. Each of these changes may influence children's nutritional status, which is sensitive to food availability, access, and utilization, and which may have lasting consequences for later-life health and socioeconomic outcomes. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on climate and child health by studying the effects of temperature and precipitation exposures on children's height and weight in Indonesia. Drawing on five rounds of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) implemented between 1993 and 2015, we estimate fixed-effects regression models of height-for-age (HFA) and weight-for-height (WFH) among samples of children ages 24-59 months and 0-23 months, respectively. We test for heterogeneity in these effects across sub-populations expected to vary in their vulnerability. Results show that delays in monsoon onset are consistently associated with worse child health outcomes. Delays in monsoon onset during the prenatal period are associated with reduced child height among children age 2-4 years. The weight of young (<2 years) children is adversely affected by delays in the most recent monsoon season, and this relationship is particularly strong among residents of Java. Overall, our results underline the need for interventions that protect children's nutrition and underlying health against the effects of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clark Gray
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE In low- and middle-income countries, undernutrition remains a major risk factor for child growth retardation. In addition, the emergence of obesity in recent years is adding another public health concern in that both stunting and obesity are associated with serious adverse health consequences. This review was designed to evaluate the prevalence of stunting and obesity in Ecuador. DESIGN Electronic databases were searched for articles published through February 2018 reporting the prevalence of stunting and/or obesity. Selected data were subjected to meta-analysis and pooled prevalence and their 95 percentiles (95 % CI) were calculated. SETTING Studies were identified in Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Database and Ibero-America databases. PARTICIPANTS Population of Ecuador. RESULTS Twenty-three articles were selected according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the study. The estimate of pooled prevalence of stunting was 23·2 % (95 % CI 23·3, 23·5) in preschoolers (age < 5 years), but was markedly higher in indigenous and rural communities. Pooled prevalence of obesity was 8·1 % (95 % CI 6·9, 9·3), 10·7 % (95 % CI 9·6, 11·7) and 10·5 % (95 % CI 9·2, 11·8) in preschoolers, school-age children (age: 5-11 years) and adolescent (age: 12-18 years), respectively. In adults (age ≥ 19 years), the rate of obesity was remarkably high as indicated by an overall estimate equal to 44·2 % (95 % CI 43·1, 45·4). CONCLUSIONS This study underlines high levels of stunting among children and obesity among adults in Ecuador, both of which are not equally distributed among the population. The magnitude of this double burden emphasises the need for sustained and targeted interventions.
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Headey DD, Palloni G. Stunting and Wasting Among Indian Preschoolers have Moderate but Significant Associations with the Vegetarian Status of their Mothers. J Nutr 2020; 150:1579-1589. [PMID: 32171005 PMCID: PMC7269725 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND India has high rates of child undernutrition and widespread lactovegetarianism. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to examine how nutrition outcomes varied among Indian preschool children in relation to the vegetarian status of their parents. METHODS The 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and the 2011-2012 National Sample Survey (NSS) were used to explore associations between parental vegetarian status and child stunting and wasting at ages 0-59 mo and anemia at ages 6-59 mo. In the NFHS, self-reports on usual consumption of foods were used to classify maternal diets, whereas in the NSS lactovegetarianism was defined at the household level. RESULTS Compared with children of nonvegetarian mothers, children aged 24-59 mo of lactovegetarian mothers were 2.9 percentage points (95% CI: -4.0, -1.9) less likely to be stunted and children aged 6-23 mo were 1.6 points less likely to be wasted (95% CI: -3.0, -0.03), whereas children aged 6-23 mo with vegan mothers were 5.2 points more likely to be stunted (95% CI: 0.1, 9.4). When compared with nonvegetarian households, lactovegetarian households had better socioeconomic status and were more likely to consume dairy frequently. Children in nonvegetarian households consumed nondairy animal-sourced foods (ASFs) with relatively low frequency. The frequency of maternal dairy consumption was significantly associated with lower risks of child stunting and wasting. CONCLUSIONS Anthropometric outcomes differed by maternal vegetarian status, which is itself strongly associated with socioeconomic position, location, religion, and caste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek D Headey
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA
| | - Giordano Palloni
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA
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Nuñez PA, Fernández MS, Turjanski P, Pérez A, Rivero MR, De Angelo C, Salomón OD, Cueto G. Substantial reduction in child stunting is differentially associated to geographical and socioeconomic disparities in Misiones Province, Argentina. Trop Med Int Health 2020; 25:874-885. [PMID: 32285585 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate trends in the prevalence of child stunting in the population of children under 5 years of age covered by public health programmes, between 2009 and 2014 in Misiones, Argentina. METHODS Using Bayesian model-based geostatistics, we evaluated 724 872 anthropometric measurements corresponding to 110 633 children. In order to identify disparities at local scale, we evaluated the hypotheses of a differential reduction of stunting according to the geographical location (at two-level spatial resolution) and to the socioeconomic level in a rural or urban environment. RESULTS The prevalence of stunting had fallen significantly in the province overall. Sex and age defined gender disparities at individual level, and there were regional disparities with higher prevalence values in the north and northeast regions. In these areas, stunting decreased to a greater degree during the studied period, although the spatial pattern remained smoother. Stunting increased in peripheral urban and dispersed rural areas that are socioeconomically vulnerable. CONCLUSIONS The spatial multi-level geostatistical estimates of child undernutrition provide a precision public health tool to target public policies to those populations with the greatest need, in order to reduce health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo A Nuñez
- Grupo de Bioestadística Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - María Soledad Fernández
- Grupo de Bioestadística Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Turjanski
- Departamento de Computación, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adriana Pérez
- Grupo de Bioestadística Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Carlos De Angelo
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto and CONICET, Río Cuarto, Argentina
| | - Oscar D Salomón
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - Gerardo Cueto
- Grupo de Bioestadística Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Tusting LS, Bradley J, Bhatt S, Gibson HS, Weiss DJ, Shenton FC, Lindsay SW. Environmental temperature and growth faltering in African children: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Planet Health 2020; 4:e116-e123. [PMID: 32220673 PMCID: PMC7232952 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(20)30037-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child growth faltering persists in sub-Saharan Africa despite the scale-up of nutrition, water, and sanitation interventions over the past 2 decades. High temperatures have been hypothesised to contribute to child growth faltering via an adaptive response to heat, reduced appetite, and the energetic cost of thermoregulation. We did a cross-sectional study to assess whether child growth faltering is related to environmental temperature in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS Data were extracted from 52 Demographic and Heath Surveys, dating from 2003 to 2016, that recorded anthropometric data in children aged 0-5 years, and were linked with remotely sensed monthly mean daytime land surface temperature for 2000-16. The odds of stunting (low height-for-age), wasting (low weight-for-height), and underweight (low weight-for-age) relative to monthly mean daytime land surface temperature were determined using multivariable logistic regression. FINDINGS The study population comprised 656 107 children resident in 373 012 households. Monthly mean daytime land surface temperature above 35°C was associated with increases in the odds of wasting (odds ratio 1·27, 95% CI 1·16-1·38; p<0·0001), underweight (1·09, 1·02-1·16; p=0·0073), and concurrent stunting with wasting (1·23, 1·07-1·41; p=0·0037), but a reduction in stunting (0·90, 0·85-0·96; p=0·00047) compared with a monthly mean daytime land surface temperature of less than 30°C. INTERPRETATION Children living in hotter parts of sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to be wasted, underweight, and concurrently stunted and wasted, but less likely to be stunted, than in cooler areas. Studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between temperature and child growth, including whether there is a direct effect not mediated by food security, regional wealth, and other environmental variables. Rising temperature, linked to anthropogenic climate change, might increase child growth faltering in sub-Saharan Africa. FUNDING UK Medical Research Council and UK Global Challenges Research Fund.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy S Tusting
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - John Bradley
- MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Samir Bhatt
- Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Harry S Gibson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel J Weiss
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
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