Prevalence and predictor stunting, wasting and underweight in Timor Leste children under five years: An analysis of DHS data in 2016

Stunting, wasting, and being underweight are indicators of malnutrition in a country. The high status reflects the poor nutritional and health status of children under five. We analyzed data from the Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Timor Leste from 2009 to 2016 to identify the prevalence and predictor stunting, wasting, and underweight. The variables analyzed were the mother's education, mother's age, mother BMI, mother's height, number of ANC visits, birth weight, sex of a child, sex of head household, type of residence, wealth index, toilet facility, source of drinking water and province. The sample in this study was 3,723 toddlers. Prevalence of stunting (44.4%), underweight (37.5%) and wasting (25.3%). In the bivariate analysis, the variables statistically significantly associated with stunting, underweight, and wasting was mother's education, sex of a child, type of residence, wealth index, and province. Improving the nutritional status of children in Timor Leste requires various nutrition and health interventions

Endocrine and growth disorders in children with haemoglobin-ss

BACKGROUND Suboptimal growth and certain metabolic disorders are commonly presented by children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). SCD is an autosomal recessive genetic condition common in regions with intense malaria prevalence. The cycles of de-oxygenation and oxygenation of red blood cells producing repeated sickling and unsickling, leading to red cell damage is a concern. There was need to establish the cause of common triggers for Vaso-Occlusive crises which include dehydration, infections, extreme temperature and emotional stress. Recurrent painful episodes, several physical and biochemical disorders including suboptimal growth, low immunity, anemia and a variety of serious organ system complications that cause life-long disabilities and/or early death in HbSS patients was a challenge. The highest frequencies (3 to 4% of populations) of Homozygous Sickle Cell disease occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODOLOGY Twenty eight children aged 4-10 years with Hemoglobin-SS (HbSS) and Vaso-Occlusive crisis attending Children Emergency Clinic at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital and another 30 healthy sex and age matched children with HbAA (controls) participated in this study. Plasma levels of Growth Hormone(GH), cortisol, prolactin, Total Thyroxin(TT4), Total Triiodotyronine(TT3), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone(TSH) and insulin were determined in all respondents using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay methods. RESULTS The weight, height and BMI decreased significantly (p<0.05) in HbSS children compared with the controls. Plasma levels of GH, cortisol, TT3 and TT4 increased significantly (p<0.05) in HbSS-children compared with controls. Plasma levels of prolactin, TSH and insulin did not show significant (p>0.05) changes in the HbSS children compared with the controls. There was a significant (r=0.46, p=0.04) positive correlation between cortisol and GH in the children with HbSS. A negative correlation (r=-0.45, p=0.045) existed between TT4 and weight of HbSSchildren. CONCLUSION The lower levels of height, weight and BMI despite increased plasma level of GH could suggest peripheral tissue resistance and/or GH-receptor deficiency in HbSS children. Elevated cortisol levels and the positive correlation between cortisol and GH could suggest a link between metabolic stress and GH secretion in HbSS Children

Prevalence and associated factors of undernutrition among school adolescents in Gobu Seyo District, East Wollega Zone, Oromia regional state of West Ethiopia, 2016

Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. During this, nutrient needs are greatest. There is so little data on adolescents' nutrition and research needs are immense. The objective of the study was to assess prevalence and associated factors of undernutrition in school adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted at GobuSeyo district in December, 2016. Using multi-stage sampling technique and interviewer administered questionnaire data was collected from 640 adolescents. Statistical package for social science version 20 for data entry and analysis and World health organization Anthroplus for determination of nutritional status of adolescents were used. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors. Prevalence of stunting and underweight composed 17.0 and 18.8% respectively. Adolescents who were stunted and underweight were 22.9%. Severely stunted and underweight adolescents were 1.7 and 2.8% respectively. Single predictor of stunting was fathers' occupation (Adjusted odds ratio-AOR- 5.82; 95%; CI-1.15, 29.38). Sex and age of the respondents and fathers' occupation were significant predictors of undernutrition. Thus, adolescent nutrition program focusing on age and sex of adolescents needs to be designed and implemented to address nutritional problem specifically in the study area

Double trouble: Addressing stunting and obesity via school nutrition

Background. South Africa (SA), as a middle-income country, faces the nutrition transition and associated double burden of undernutrition and obesity. School feeding programmes are one way of ensuring that malnutrition in children is addressed, but questions remain about whether they can address both undernutrition and obesity.Objectives. To compare the obesity and stunting outcomes for children receiving different combinations of school feeding programmes in a rural district of SA.Methods. The evaluation involved a comparative design that compared the stunting obesity levels of three groups of children. Group 1 received one lunch meal a day for a prolonged period, group 2 both lunch and breakfast, and group 3 had started receiving a daily lunch shortly before the commencementofthresearch.Results. Group 1 had stunting levels in line with the national average. Group 2 had lower stunting levels than those receiving only the lunch meal. Children from group 3 had lower stunting levels than groups 1 and 2. Rates of obesity and overweight were markedly different between the groups. Group 3 had very high rates of overweight and obesity ­ above the national average of 28%. In contrast, group 1 had far lower rates of overweight and obesity, and group 2exhibited the lowest levels. There was a significant decrease in the percentage of learners classified as overweight in group 3 over the 6-month period, from 26.1% to 19.2%.Conclusion. One lunch meal a day is associated with positive outcomes in relation to rates of stunting and obesity, and the lowest rates of obesity were measured when a breakfast meal was added. The addition of a breakfast meal to a lunch feeding programme shows promise,but this requires further investigation to understand whether causal linkages exist

Etude de l'état nutritionnel des enfants d'âge préscolaire dans un quartier du district de Bamako Bankoni (Mali)

Une enquete exhaustive realisee chez les enfants de 6 a 36 mois du quartier de Bankoni (quartier pauvre du district de Bamako) a revele que la malnutrition proteino-energetique est un probleme de sante publique; car les niveaux de prevalence de la maigreur est de 13;1 pour cent; le retard de croissance statural 24;1 pour cent et l'insuffisance ponderale 30;8 pour cent. Cette etude a aussi mis en evidence des variations de prevalence assez importantes entre les differents secteurs etudies d'une entite administrative apparemment homogene. Deux secteurs (Flabougou et Plateau) ont des niveaux de prevalence eleves pour tous les indices. Pour un meilleur ciblage des interventions et du systeme de surveillance; les etudes epidemiologiques en milieu urbain doivent se baser sur des decoupages homogenes; qui ne correspondent pas toujours aux entites administratives. Dans ce cadre une approche geographique et anthropologique permettrait d'identifier des zones homogenes en matiere de malnutrition proteino-energetique