Intergenerational Association of Short Maternal Stature with Stunting in Yanomami Indigenous Children from the Brazilian Amazon

Temporal Analysis of Malaria Cases in the Brazilian Yanomami Pediatric Population: A Retrospective Ecologic Study From 2003 to 2022

This retrospective ecological study investigated malaria incidence among Brazilian Yanomami children and adolescents from 2003 to 2022. Of the 145,573 recorded cases, 75.9% occurred in the Yanomami pediatric population. Moreover, an increase in the proportion of cases among the 10-19 age group has been observed, potentially associated with the recruitment of Indigenous adolescents to mining areas in recent years.

Food profile of Yanomami indigenous children aged 6 to 59 months from the Brazilian Amazon, according to the degree of food processing: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to characterise the food profile of Yanomami indigenous children according to the degree of food processing and its associated factors.

DESIGN

This is a cross-sectional study with Yanomami indigenous children aged 6 to 59 months. Socio-demographic, maternal and infant data were collected through a standardised questionnaire. The food profile was obtained by using a list of thirty-four foods to verify the child's consumption of these foods on the day preceding the interview. Foods were classified according to the degree of processing based on the NOVA system (in natura or minimally processed, processed culinary ingredients, processed and ultra-processed). In natura and minimally processed foods were subdivided into 'regional' and 'urban' foods. Poisson regression analysis was applied to estimate the associated factors according to the 90 % CI.

SETTING

Three villages (Auaris, Maturacá and Ariabú) in the Yanomami indigenous territory, in the Brazilian Amazon.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 251 Yanomami children aged 6 to 59 months were evaluated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of consumption of 'regional' and 'urban' in natura or minimally processed foods was 93 % and 56 %, respectively, and consumption of ultra-processed foods was 32 %. Ultra-processed food consumption was 11·6 times higher in children of Maturacá and 9·2 times higher in Ariabú when compared with the children of Auaris and 31 % lower in children who had mothers with shorter stature.

CONCLUSION

Despite the high frequency of consumption of in natura and minimally processed foods, the consumption of ultra-processed foods was substantial and was associated with demographic and maternal factors in Yanomani indigenous children under 5 years of age.

Drivers of Stunting Reduction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A Case Study

BACKGROUND

Chronic malnutrition in children is a severe global health concern. In Yogyakarta, the number of children who are too short for their age has dropped dramatically over the past few decades.

OBJECTIVE

To perform an analysis of trends, policies, and programs; and an assessment of government, community, household, and individual drivers of the stunting reduction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

METHOD

Using a mixed-methods approach, there were three types of research: (1) analysis of quantitative data, (2) evaluation of stunting policy, and (3) focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to collect qualitative data.

RESULTS

The prevalence of stunting has decreased from year to year. Mean height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) improved by 0.22 SDs from 2013 to 2021. Male and female toddlers aged <20 months have relatively the same body length as the WHO median, but it is lower for children >20 months old. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in stunting-concurrent wasting. Nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions have been carried out with coverage that continues to increase from year to year, although in 2020, or at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coverage of specific interventions decreased. The government has committed to tackling stunting by implementing the five pillars of stunting prevention and the eight convergent stunting actions. As the drivers of stunting reduction, national and community stakeholders and mothers, at the village level, cited a combination of poverty reduction, years of formal education, prevention of early marriage, access to food, enhanced knowledge and perception, and increased access to sanitation and hygiene.

CONCLUSIONS

Nutrition-specific and -sensitive sector improvements have been crucial for decreasing stunting in Yogyakarta, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, food access, preventing child marriage, sanitation, education, and increasing knowledge and perception.

An Assessment of Health Outcomes and Methylmercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Women of Childbearing Age and Their Children under 2 Years Old

In line with the 1000-day initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3, we present a cross-sectional analysis of maternal health, infant nutrition, and methylmercury exposure within hard-to-reach indigenous communities in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. We collected data from all women of childbearing age (i.e., 12-49) and their infants under two years old in three Munduruku communities (Sawré Muybu, Sawré Aboy, and Poxo Muybu) along the Tapajos River. We explored health outcomes through interviews, vaccine coverage and clinical assessment, and determined baseline hair methylmercury (H-Hg) levels. Hemoglobin, infant growth (Anthropometric Z scores) and neurodevelopment tests results were collected. We found that 62% of women of childbearing age exceeded the reference limit of 6.0 μg/g H-Hg (median = 7.115, IQR = 4.678), with the worst affected community (Sawré Aboy) registering an average H-Hg concentration of 12.67 μg/g. Half of infants aged under 24 months presented with anemia. Three of 16 (18.8%) infants presented H-Hg levels above 6.0 µg/g (median: 3.88; IQR = 3.05). Four of the 16 infants were found to be stunted and 38% of women overweight, evidencing possible nutritional transition. No infant presented with appropriate vaccination coverage for their age. These communities presented with an estimated Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 86.7/1000 live births. The highest H-Hg level (19.6 µg/g) was recorded in an 11-month-old girl who was found to have gross motor delay and anemia. This already vulnerable indigenous Munduruku community presents with undernutrition and a high prevalence of chronic methylmercury exposure in women of childbearing age. This dual public health crisis in the context of wider health inequalities has the potential to compromise the development, health and survival of the developing fetus and infant in the first two critical years of life. We encourage culturally sensitive intervention and further research to focus efforts.