Prevalence Of Malnutrition In Children Research Articles

Human capital, poverty, and income distribution in developing countries

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of the components of human capital on the extent of poverty and income distribution in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachData for all variables are from the World Development Report, 2006 and 2007. The least‐squares estimation technique in a multivariate linear regression is applied. It is noted that the introduction of interaction terms between income and the components of human capital yields better statistical results, as pointed out in the economic development literature.FindingsBased on data from the World Bank and using a sample of 40 developing economies, it is found that the fraction of the population below the poverty line is linearly dependent upon gender parity ratio in primary and secondary schools, the prevalence of child malnutrition, per capita purchasing power parity gross national income, the maternal mortality rate, and the percentage of births attended by skilled health staff. Using another sample of 35 developing countries, it is found that income inequality linearly depends on the same explanatory variables plus the infant mortality rate and the primary school completion rate.Practical implicationsStatistical results of such empirical examination will assist governments in those countries identify areas that need to be improved upon in order to alleviate poverty and improve the distribution of income.Originality/valueThis paper provides useful information on the impact of the components of human capital on the extent of poverty and income distribution in developing countries.

Women's Organizations and Social Capital to Reduce Prevalence of Child Malnutrition in Papua New Guinea

Drawing upon survey data in 2000, this article analyses the maturity of women's community-based organizations in Papua New Guinea (PNG), comparing autonomous organizations with those that receive external support. The results of applying the Heckman model suggest that: (1) autonomous Mothers' Groups are more efficient in improving child nutritional status in the weight-for-age measure than those externally supported; and (2) higher maturity of these groups is associated with lower occurrence of underweight. Support for existing autonomous women's organizations is a particularly relevant intervention in PNG; governance with limited trust in formal institutions and modest outreach of services remain issues for large segments of the rural population.

Estado nutricional de niños palúdicos residentes en El Bagre y Turbo, Antioquia, Colombia, 2004-2005

Malaria and malnutrition coexist within the poorest regions of the world. In the regions of Colombia where malaria is endemic, malnutrition is also a public health problem. The prevalence of malnutrition in children with malaria was determined and several factors associated with malnutrition were identified. A total of 93 children with malaria were included. They resided in the municipalities of Turbo and El Bagre (Antioquia, Colombia) and volunteered for an experimental, study to evaluate the outcome of an antimalarial treatment with a vitamin A supplement and an anti-intestinal parasite treatment administered as a single dose. At enrollment, the nutritional status was evaluated by anthropometry, and a survey questionnaire was administered about economic and social conditions of the family. Prevalence of moderate or severe chronic malnutrition was 22.6%-10.8% of children had moderate or severe global malnutrition and 2.3% had acute malnutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition was higher in males and in children from Turbo. Prevalence of malnutrition was higher than previously reported by the National Health and Demography Survey (2005) and, in Turbo, the prevalence was higher than that reported for the rest of the Urabá region of Antioquia.

Vitamin C Status in Iranian Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Evidence for Increased Utilization

Vitamin C status and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was assessed in 28 hospitalized patients and 30 apparently healthy control subjects. It was determined that whereas vitamin C intake in patients with ALL was more than twice as much as in controls, plasma and urinary concentrations of vitamin C were more than 10 times and 2.5 times higher in controls than in the patients with ALL, respectively (P < 0.001). Accordingly, serum TAC levels in the patients with ALL were lower than in healthy subjects (P < 0.001). Vitamin C utilization is increased in children with ALL.

Effect of feeding competencies on the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy

The purpose of this study was to determine if the feeding competencies influence the nutritional status in a group of Portuguese children with cerebral palsy (CP). One hundred and five children, aged between 4 and 12 years, were studied. Nutritional status was determined through BMI for age (BMI_y), and subescapular (SSF) and tricipital skinfolds (TSF). Feeding competencies were evaluated using the seven levels of the Functional Feeding Assessment test (FFA). This study confirmed the high prevalence of malnutrition in children with CP, since 44,8% of the sample had a BMI_y bellow the 5th percentile (Pct5). Significant differences were observed between males and females, namely in malnutrition which was higher in females (52, 4% had a BMI_y<Pct5). TSF showed similar values to those of BMI_y, since TSF values were bellow Pct5 in 46, 7% of the sample. All the feeding competencies were strongly correlated with the nutritional status indicators and the moderate and severe feeding incapacities represented 47,5% of the sample. Significant differences were observed for the feeding competencies between malnourished and non malnourished children. From logistic regression analysis, Odds Ratio (OR) were inferred between nutritional status (BMI_y, TSF & SSF), the decrease in feeding competencies and gender, and independent associations were identified between nutritional status and some feeding competencies. The independent associations between nutritional status and drinking from a cup, drinking through a straw and drooling during feeding, may be considered important screening tools that allow early detection of malnutrition and promote the intervention of the health care team, namely nutritionists and speech therapists, implementing prevention and recovery strategies for the nutritional and functional status of these children.

Standards of nutritional care in pediatric oncology: Results from a nationwide survey on the standards of practice in pediatric oncology. a Children's Oncology Group study

The prevalence of malnutrition in children with cancer ranges between 8% and 60%. Malnutrition is strongly associated with the nature of treatment and increases an individual's risk of infection. Clinical studies have suggested that nutrition intervention may decrease toxicity and improve survival in the oncology population. In order to identify the standards of practice in the nutritional management of a child with cancer, we conducted an international survey in institutions that are part of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) consortium. Surveys were submitted to 233 participating COG institutions. We requested one member in three disciplines complete the survey: physician, registered dietitian, and nurse or nurse practitioner. The survey was returned to the nutrition sub-committee of COG. Fifty-four percent of institutions responded to the survey. We found no consistency in the provision of nutrition services. Assessment of nutritional status does not routinely occur and different indices are employed to indicate the nutrition status of a patient. Institutions rely upon different guidelines when categorizing malnutrition. When nutrition intervention is clinically indicated, a variety of approaches are employed. This survey did not find standardized nutrition protocols being employed in the pediatric oncology population. The effect of varied nutrition practices on the quality of life, toxicity, and outcome in children with cancer is unknown. Prior to the initiation of clinical trials, uniform guidelines need to be developed and validated. Future clinical trials need to investigate the most efficacious method of nutrition assessment and intervention and its effect on quality of life, toxicity, and survival in children with cancer.

Is there an association between the nutritional status of the mother and that of her 2-year-old to 5-year-old child?

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an association between the nutritional status of the mother and that of her 2-year-old to 5-year-old child in a rural village in South Africa where there is a high prevalence of childhood malnutrition (in particular, deficiencies of vitamin A and iron) and of maternal obesity.A blood sample and anthropometric measurements were obtained for 118 child–mother pairs. There was a positive mother–child correlation for serum ferritin (R=0.2304, P<0.05) and haemoglobin (R=0.2664, P<0.01) concentrations, respectively. The child of an anaemic mother had a relative risk of 1.632 of also being anaemic. There was no mother–child association for either serum retinol concentration or anthropometric measurements. Serum retinol concentrations showed a positive correlation with both serum ferritin (mothers only; R=0.2161, P<0.01) and haemoglobin (R=0.2807, P<0.01 for mothers; and R=0.2710, P < 0.01 for children) concentrations.The mother–child association for iron status is probably because of an inadequate dietary intake and low bioavailability of dietary iron, which are major causes of iron deficiency. The lack of mother–child association for serum retinol concentration could probably be ascribed to the fact that children are more susceptible to vitamin A deficiency than adults because of childhood diseases.

Changes in Maternal Nutritional Knowledge and its Relationship with Child Nutritional Status in the Volta Region of Ghana

Nutrition education has been used as a weapon against childhood malnutrition in Ghana, however, there is little evidence concerning its impact on maternal nutritional knowledge and child nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to find out whether changes have occurred in maternal nutritional knowledge during an eight year period and whether any changes observed will be related to the prevalence of child malnutrition. Data for the study were collected in the same study areas in 1993 and 2001 on maternal attitudes, beliefs and knowledge related to child nutritional status. Variables analyzed in this study were the ones that have been included in nutrition messages given to the mothers at the health centers where the data were collected. Data were also collected on the prevalence of childhood malnutrition. Results revealed significant changes in maternal nutritional knowledge from 1993 to 2001. Mothers interviewed in 2001 had better nutritional knowledge than mothers in 1993. The data on malnutrition prevalence showed an increase in the prevalence rate from 1993 to 1998. This suggests that the nutritional knowledge acquired by the mothers have not been translated in to behavior. Similar findings have been reported in the literature and there has been the suggestion that for nutrition knowledge to be put into practice, several conditions must be present. For example, (1) there is the need for both declarative and procedural knowledge, (2) there must be motivation to act, (3) new knowledge should fit into the schema of the individual and (4) resources needed to implement new information ought to be available. It was concluded that in order for nutrition education to have the desired impact, there is the need to incorporate these factors in the design and implementation of such programs. Key Words: nutrition education, attitude change IFE Psychologia Vol.12(2) 2004: 213-228

SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS OF BIRTH-RELATED BIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON PRE-ADOLESCENT NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG RURAL SUNDANESE IN WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

The Sundanese inhabiting West Java, the second largest ethnic group in Indonesia, are characterized by a high prevalence of child malnutrition, together with high fertility. Based on an anthropometric measurement and interview survey of 310 children aged 5-12 years in a rural Sundanese village, this study examined the relative significance of the effects of eight biological, eight socioeconomic status (SES) and four health behavioural factors on their Z scores for height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-age (WAZ) in particular. Three biological factors, i.e. birth interval, birth weight and mother's body weight, and one SES factor, i.e. mother's occupation, were selected as the predictors of the two Z scores by regression analysis, indicating more significant effects of the biological factors than the other factors. This pattern is judged to occur in less-developed and high-fertility populations. Since these two Z scores were worse in the subject children than in the under-5-year-old children from the same village, more attention should be paid to the long-lasting effects of birth-related biological factors up to pre-adolescent ages, as an insufficient nutritional status tends to damage growth and health in adolescence and adulthood.

Nutritional transition in Brazil: geographic and temporal trends

Based on three cross-sectional studies conducted in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, an analysis of the nutritional transition in Brazil was performed. This analysis found a rapid decrease in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition and an even more rapid increase in adult overweight/obesity. Correction of the height deficit was 72% in urban children and 54.4% in rural children. Obesity rates doubled or tripled in adult men and women at the extremes of the time series analyzed. Excluding the rural Northeast, malnutrition prevalence in adult women dropped to acceptable rates (about 5%) starting in 1989. Inversely, anemia continued to display a high prevalence, and there is indication of an epidemic trend. The evolution of nutritional status in the Brazilian population according to macro-regions and social distribution is reported. The likely factors for the observed changes are analyzed.

Better nutrition of Brazilian children

The prevalence of child malnutrition in Brazil declined 60% over the period 1974-89. This decline was not however uniform across the country causing regional differences to therefore widen. These findings are based upon a 1975 national survey of 55000 families and a 1989 survey of 14000 families. More specifically the overall prevalence of undernourished children in Brazil fell from 18.4% to 7.1% over the period. Among those aged 4-5 years a 68% reduction was experienced but only 47% among infants. Prevalence in the northeast region was sliced in half from 27%; this decline is in striking contrast to the more pronounced drop in prevalence in the south from 11.7% to 2.5% over the period. Socioeconomically the prevalence of malnutrition among the poorest 25% of the population increased from 5 times to 10 times the prevalence among the richest 25%. The authors conclude by asserting that this rapid improvement in child nutrition was due to the rapid economic growth experienced in the 1970s in the country the expansion of health and education services and declines in the national birth rate and the number of families living in rural areas.

Study of nutritional status of children attending OPD at a tertiary-care hospital in eastern region of Nepal

Background: Prevalence of malnutrition is high in Nepal. Early intervention improves outcome of children. Objectives: To study the occurrence of the malnutrition in under five children coming to the OPD at BPKIHS and to find out the age group &amp; sex most severely affected by malnutrition. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional hospital-based study was carried out from 2003-04. 500 children aged 1-5 years were taken as a sample The children needing emergency care were excluded. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) and WHO classification were used for grading malnutrition. Results: Total patient were 500 aged 1-5 yrs group. Total malnutrition cases were 124 with a prevalence of 24.8% .Malnutrition was highest in 3-4 years group (33.3%). Conclusion: It is found that total malnutrition cases were about 24.8%.A more elaborate and community based study would help to find prevalence of malnutrition in children of Eastern Nepal. Keywords: nutritional status; PEM; affected by malnutrition DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hren.v9i2.4982 Health Renaissance 2011: Vol.9 (No.2): 102-105