Bio-demographic characteristics of children with Down syndrome, their siblings, and their parents in Moroccan population

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we present the results of bio-demographic characteristics of households and associated factors with Down syndrome (DS) birth in Morocco.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective survey between 2014 and 2017 addressed to 277 families with 925 siblings and at least one child with DS (279 with DS). The data are collected using a standardized questionnaire in Marrakech-Safi region. Data were entered and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS statistics software for Windows (version 20.0). Chi-square (χ2) and student t tests were used for testing statistical significance. Differences were considered significant when the p-value <0.05.

RESULTS

The binary logistic regression analysis between DS and non-DS children in their bio-demographic characteristics studied (sex, breastfeeding, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, birth weight, maternal age at birth, paternal age at birth, oral contraceptive use, duration of oral contraceptive use before pregnancy, child age and rank of birth) showed that only maternal age and paternal age at birth, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, birth weight and child age (OR= 1.08; 95%Cl: 1.04-1.13, OR= 1.04; 95%Cl: 1.00-1.08, OR= 0.95; 95%Cl: 0.92-0.98, OR= 0.31; 95%Cl: 0.22-0.44 and OR= 0.90; 95%Cl: 0.87-0.93, respectively). In the other hand, the comparison between some of socio and bio-demographic characteristics of households studied with data from National Population Survey and Family health (2018) showed a higher level of education in women and men in our sample. Similar results were shown in proportion of men and women in paid employment, the proportion of smoking and alcohol consumption among men and the rate of oral contraceptive use before pregnancy among women.

CONCLUSION

Highlighting the bio-demographic characteristics of people with DS will help families to take good care of this group.  .

Parents' perceptions of morbidities and some functional abilities in people with down syndrome in Morocco

Objective

This study aimed to assess parental perceptions of morbidity and certain functional abilities in people with Down syndrome (DS) and their variability according to age and sex in Morocco.

Material and Methods

A retrospective and analytical survey was conducted between May 2014 and November 2017, and addressed to the parents of 279 individuals with DS, including 161 boys (57.7%) aged 1-40 years. The sample was subdivised to tree age groups, children under 10 years old, adolescents aged 10-18 years and adults aged ≥ 18 years. Information about the identity of parents, age and sex of people with DS, their morbidity during the two years preceding the survey, and some functional abilities was collected. Data were entered and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS statistics software for Windows (version 20.0). Chi-square (χ2) test was used for testing statistical significance. Differences were considered significant when the p-value < 0.05. The multivariate analysis were used to identify the causes of morbidies independently associated with age and sex of child. Associations were measured in Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% Cl).

Results

The most common factors of morbidity registered in the study sample with DS, included respiratory infections, visual disturbances, oral pathologies, and cardiac problems (75.4%, 72.1%, 59.3%, and 44.9%, respectively). The hearing deficit, cardiac problems, respiratory infections, and oral pathologies showed statistically significant differences among the three age groups. According to the participants parents' perceptions, half of them (50%) were able to walk at 30 months, talk at 72 months, sit at 16 months, crawl at 16 months and eat alone at 48 months old.

Conclusion

People with DS at different ages present a set of potentially treatable diseases that require multidisciplinary medical monitoring. They also need early paramedical care to improve their functional abilities.

Bio-demographic characteristics of households and risk factors for Down Syndrome in Morocco

Background

The most studied risk factors for Down Syndrom (DS) were: region of residence, exposure to chemicals, parents' education level, cigarette and alcohol use by father or mother or both, and oral contraceptive (OC) use.

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare certain variables considered as risk factors on DS such as parental age at birth, OC use, child's sex, and rank of birth between children with DS and their siblings without DS as well as to determine the socio-bio-demographic characteristics of the families studied compared with the general Moroccan population.

Material and Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 277 families with 925 siblings and at least one child with DS (279 with DS) between 2014 and 2017. The data are collected using a standardized questionnaire in MarrakechSafi region. Data were entered and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS statistics software for Windows (version 20.0). Chi-square (χ2) and Student t tests were used for testing statistical significance. Differences were considered significant when the p-value <0.05.

Results

The binary logistic regression analysis between DS and non-DS children in their bio-demographic characteristics studied (sex, maternal age at birth, paternal age at birth, oral contraceptive (OC) use, length of oral contraceptive use before pregnancy and rank of birth) showed that only maternal age and paternal age at birth and OC use were associated with DS birth (OR= 1.16; 95% CL: 1.11-1.21, OR= 1.05; 95%CL: 1.01-1.09 and OR= 0.01; 95%CL: 0.00-0.003, respectively). In the other hand, the comparison between socio and bio-demographic characteristics of households studied with data from National Population Survey and Family health (2018) showed a higher level of education in women and men in our sample. Similar results were shown in rate of men and women in paid employment, the rate of smoking and alcohol consumption among men and the rate of OC use before pregnancy among women.

Conclusion

These results will help to sensitize the Moroccan population about risk factors for DS.

Behaviour and therapeutic itinerary of epileptic patients in Marrakech city and surrounding regions in South Morocco

Background

Epilepsy is a chronic, universal disorder with various etiologies and prognoses. It is still laden with myths in the majority of the Moroccan population. Despite the existence of well-established medicinal treatments and increasingly comprehensive care, access to antiepileptic care is still limited, especially for rural populations. We aim herein to identify the therapeutic itinerary of patients with epilepsy (or epileptic disorders) as well as the behaviour of patients and their families towards this disease in Marrakech and the surrounding region of Marrakech-Safi.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective study Questionnaire filled by 110 patients data was analysed with SPSS version 18.

Results

Our results showed that 69.96% of the patients believed in a supernatural origin of the disease and 76.4% attended for professional medical care after their first seizure. In addition, more than half of our patients (51.8%) consulted a religious leader for the initial consultation, 51.0% of whom were women and 49.0% were male. The low socioeconomic status of patients with epilepsy, 74.5% of whom were unemployed, impeded the effective management of this disease.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the management of patients with epilepsy (or epileptic disorders) in Africa, and particularly in Morocco requires, in addition to the reinforcement of human and material resources, an effort to educate and positively influence the family and the social environment as a whole.

Characteristics of Menarcheal Age, Menstrual Hygiene and Socio-Demographic Factors in Girls with Down Syndrome in Morocco

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of menarcheal age, menstrual hygiene and their associated socio-demographic factors in girls with Down syndrome (DS) in Morocco. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2014 and November 2017, including 59 parents/guardians of girls with Down syndrome aged 9-32 years. Data were collected through a standardized questionnaire providing information about socio-demographic and cultural conditions of parents, nutritional status and some functional abilities of girls. The median age at menarche was estimated using retrospective and status-quo methods, respectively. Data were entered and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS statistics software for Windows (version 20.0). Chi-square (χ2) and Mann-Whitney tests were used for testing statistical significance. The age at menarche ranged from 9 to 16 years old. The median was 13.0 (IQR, 11.0-14.0) years. The median age of menarche by probit analysis was 12.55 years. The relationship between menarcheal age, menstrual hygiene and the selected parameters showed a significant difference in age at menarche only regarding the parameter of number of siblings (Z = 2.14; p = .03), and in menstrual hygiene regarding mother's level of education, family size and age of talking (χ2 = 5.04, p = .02; χ2 = 3.75, p = .05 and χ2 = 4.99, p = .02, respectively). Most girls with DS attain menarche at the usual age as their counterparts in the general population and do not have enough knowledge about menstruation. Mobilization of all interventionists is urgent to develop adolescent skills about practices related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene.

Prevalence and predictors of dysmenorrhea among a population of adolescent's schoolgirls (Morocco)

Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynaecological problem among young females. In Arabic countries, few studies on gynaecological problems of adolescent's girls were published.

OBJECTIVE

the aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and associated factors among adolescents in public schools at Marrakesh.

METHODS

we conducted a cross-sectional study; our data was collected via a questionnaire and the statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21. Our random sample counted 364 post-menarcheal girls aged between 12 and 20 years who participated voluntarily in our study.

RESULTS

the mean age at menarche was 12.89 ± 1.34 years; the prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 78% and 58.1% of them suffering from severe dysmenorrhea that increased clearly with the chronological age. Dysmenorrhea was cause for missing school among 13% of girls and the most common symptoms associated with it were backache, fatigue, irritability and anxiety. The gynecological age was found to be the only predictive factor of dysmenorrhea among schoolgirls.

CONCLUSION

reproductive health education should be improved enough by including them in the school curriculum to prepare girls for menstruation and inform them about problems related to this phenomenon, especially dysmenorrhea.

Body Mass Index and Body Weight Perception among a Population of Female Adolescents

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is associated with many physical changes, it is described as a period when body weight changes and is likely to become worrying for many adolescents. AIM: This study aims to evaluate associations between body weight perception and body mass index (BMI) among a population of female adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted from February to May 2017 among 12–19 years olds adolescents (n = 415) from high and middle school. BMI for age percentiles was calculated using the WHO AnthroPlus. Body weight perception was determined using an anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of misconception of body weight was 60%. The prevalence of misconception was positively associated with the participants age (p < 0.001), the occurrence of menarche (p < 0.05), the increasing of BMI (p < 0.001), and with habits diet satisfaction (p < 0.05). Overweighed participants and who’s with normal weight were more likely to perceive their weight incorrectly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, approximately 2.9% of participants underestimated their true body weight and 57.1% overestimated their weight. However, all participants with underweight had correctly perceived their body weight. Logistic regression showed that predictor factors of misconception weight were participant’s age and BMI. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to improve healthy programs in schools aimed at preventing body weight perception and eating problems among adolescents.

Obesity, overweight and body-weight perception in a High Atlas Moroccan population

In order to study the prevalence of obesity and overweight and to understand how the human body is perceived among Moroccan mountain populations, we carried out a survey that covered a sample of 436 Amazigh individuals aged 20 years and more from the High Moroccan Atlas. Through this survey, we noticed that obesity is still low among men (2.4%), whereas the prevalence of obesity among women is alarming and reaches 13.3%. The prevalence of overweight is also high, especially among women, with 32.8% vs. 21.8% among men. Obesity prevalence, especially overweight, is higher than that recorded in the national rural level. The high prevalence of overweight that can develop to obesity should be taken into account mainly when dealing with women that still value overweight. In fact, women in our sample underestimate their overweight more than men and wish to have a heavier body.

Do "helpers at the nest" increase their parents' reproductive success?

"Helpers at the nest," usually offspring of a preceding litter who contribute by feeding the young to increase the reproductive success of a breeding pair, are known in many species of birds and mammals. Although similar behaviors were described by ethnological observations in several human societies, there is a lack of data on their existence and role. This study of 794 reproductive life histories of post-menopausal Berber women of Southern Morocco aims to provide such information. Results show that the presence of "probable helpers" in the household is related to higher fertility scores and is associated with improved survival of offspring to sexual maturity. In contrast to sparse observations from other human societies, there is no indication that child caretaking would be specific to eldest daughters. Although the association between offspring survival and helping patterns seems highly probable, there is no confirmation that child caretaking per se is the relevant variable. Contrary to nonhuman helpers at the nest, workloads of children range from housekeeping to light agricultural tasks, and are not focused on assisting younger siblings. The improvement of reproductive success is probably the result of multiple interactions, among which the network of kinship would play a role at both the levels of economy and reciprocal assistance.

Secular trend in age at menarche in Marrakesh (Morocco)

The median age at menarche observed by status-quo methods in 1991, and calculated by mean of probit analysis in a sample of 239 school girls from Marrakesh aged 11-17 years, was 13.75 +/- 0.17 years. Compared with earlier observations obtained for Moroccan girls in 1982 and 1987 the results show a decline of age at menarche of 0.55 year in the period 1982-91 and 0.25 year in the period 1987-91.

Determinants of contraceptive use in Morocco: stopping behaviour in traditional populations

The determinants of modern contraceptive use in traditional populations are analysed in married women aged 30-44 living in the province of Marrakech (Morocco). Women who have never used contraception have smaller family sizes than those who do: the number of live children (or live births) is the variable with maximum predictive power on contraceptive use, while child mortality is the main inhibiting factor. The probability of contraceptive use increases with female age at marriage and decreases with the woman's age, indicating a generational change in reproductive behaviour. The socioeconomic variables education, employment and residence, have no significant independent predictive character on contraceptive use, although the interaction between education and residence does. The paper evaluates the hypothesis that traditional populations in the initial phase of their demographic transition resort to modern contraception in order to stop childbearing, when they have reached a desired number of children, rather than to space births or reduce their fertility.