An Increased Risk of Stunting among Newborns in Poorer Rural Settings: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study among Pregnant Women at Selected Sites in Rural Cambodia

Cultural Communication Strategies of Behavioral Changes in Accelerating of Stunting Prevention: A Systematic Review

Background: Stunting is a condition of failure to thrive in children under five years of age (toddlers) due to chronic malnutrition and infection. Stunting has an impact on the level of intelligence, susceptibility to disease, reduces productivity, increases poverty and inequality. This condition is closely related to the culture of the community. Therefore, a cultural communication strategy is needed as an intervention to change maternal behavior and prevent stunting. Objective: This study aims to analyze articles related to cultural communication strategies in efforts to prevent stunting in children. Method: The design used is the literature review, articles are collected using search engines such as ProQuest, BMC Public Health, Google Scholar and Plos One. Criteria article used was published in 2011-2020. Results: Stunting is a condition of failure to thrive in children under five years of age as a result of chronic malnutrition so that the child is too short for his age. Malnutrition occurs since the baby is in the womb and in the early days after the baby is born. The factors that cause stunting in children are family factors and family environment, inadequate food, breastfeeding and infection. These factors are closely related to the local culture. Therefore, cultural communication strategies are considered effective in changing mother's behavior and preventing stunting in children. Conclusion: Cultural communication can influence behavior change in mothers to prevent stunting in children

Serum Concentrations of Selected Organochlorines in Pregnant Women and Associations with Pregnancy Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study from Two Rural Settings in Cambodia

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 194 pregnant women from two low-income settings in Cambodia. The inclusion period lasted from October 2015 through December 2017. Maternal serum samples were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The aim was to study potential effects on birth outcomes. We found low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP), except for heptachlors, β-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor epoxide, and p,p'-DDE. There were few differences between the two study locations. However, the women from the poorest areas had significantly higher concentrations of p,p'-DDE (p < 0.001) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (p = 0.002). The maternal factors associated with exposure were parity, age, residential area, and educational level. Despite low maternal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, we found significant negative associations between the PCB congeners 99 (95% CI: -2.51 to -0.07), 138 (95% CI: -1.28 to -0.32), and 153 (95% CI: -1.06 to -0.05) and gestational age. Further, there were significant negative associations between gestational age, birth length, and maternal levels of o,p'-DDE. Moreover, o,p'-DDD had positive associations with birth weight, and both p,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE were positively associated with the baby's ponderal index. The poorest population had higher exposure and less favorable outcomes.