Fatores associados ao estado nutricional em criancas de creches publicas do municipio de Recife, PE, Brasil / Factors associated with nutritional status in infants attending public daycare centers in the municipality of Recife, PE, Brazil

Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil nutricional de crianças frequentadoras de creches do município de Recife e identificar potenciais fatores determinantes. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal conduzido com 321 crianças de 6 a 30 meses no período de agosto a outubro de 2004. A classificação do estado nutricional foi realizada a partir dos índices comprimento/idade, peso/idade, peso/comprimento e de massa corpórea/idade, utilizando o padrão de referência da Organização Mundial da Saúde. A análise de regressão linear multivariada avaliou o efeito das condições socioeconômicas e demográficas maternas e relacionadas às crianças sobre o índice comprimento/idade. Resultados: O percentual de desnutrição (< -2 escores Z) foi de 13,4%, 2,8%, 0,6% e 0,6% para os índices comprimento/idade, peso/idade, peso/comprimento e de massa corpórea/idade, respectivamente. O modelo final da análise de regressão linear multivariada mostrou que as condições socioeconômicas (tipo de teto e abastecimento de água) e biológicas da criança (peso ao nascer, idade e concentração de hemoglobina) foram as variáveis que significantemente influenciaram a variação do índice comprimento/idade, explicando 3,8% e 12,8%, respectivamente. Conclusão: Entre as variáveis estudadas, os fatores biológicos da criança tiveram uma influência maior na variação do índice comprimento/idade do que as socioeconômicas. .

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of infants attending daycare centers in the Municipality of Recife and to verify its association with potential determinant factors. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted with 321 infants in the age group of 6 to 30 months from August to October 2004. The nutritional status was assessed through length-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length and body mass index-for-age using as reference pattern that of the World Health Organization. Multivariable linear regression analysis assessed the effect of maternal socioeconomic and demographical indicators, and child related variables on infant length-for-age. Results: The percentages of malnutrition (Z score < -2) were found in 13.4%, 2.8%, 0.6% and 0.6% for length-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length and body mass index-for-age, respectively. The final model of the linear multivariable regression analysis showed that the socioeconomic (type of roof and water supply) and child biological conditions (birthweight, age and hemoglobin concentration) were the variables that significantly influenced the variation of length-for-age, explaining 3.8% and 12.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Among the studied variables, child biological factors had a higher influence in the variation of length-for-age than the socioeconomic ones. .

Prevalence and Determinants of Chronic Malnutrition among Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Study in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.

Chronic malnutrition is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among preschool children and the future productivity of nations. To understand the prevalence of chronic malnutrition and to identify the factors affecting height-for-age z-score (HAZ) among preschool children, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 randomly-selected children aged less than five years in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Results of analysis of this study data revealed that the prevalence of stunting among preschool children in Dhaka city was 39.5%, with 25% severely stunted and 14% moderately stunted (p<0.001). Results of bivariate analysis revealed that socioeconomic and demographic factors were most significantly associated with the stunting of children. Children were found to be well-nourished if their parents had a tertiary-level education or higher and if the mother held a job and had good knowledge of nutrition. Well-nourishment of the children were also associated with the height of mothers (above 148 cm), good family educational background, normal birthweight, greater frequency of food intake (more than six times/day), and fewer fever episodes in the last six months. Results of multivariate linear regression models showed that height of mothers, birthweight of children, education of fathers, knowledge of mothers on nutrition, and frequency of feeding were the most significant factors that had an independent and direct influence on the stunting of children. To achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of 34% malnutrition prevalence by 2015, it is important to have specific government intervention to focus on the causes that directly influence the stunting of children.

Nutritional Status of Under-five Children Living in an Informal Urban Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.

Malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to high rates of childhood morbidity and mortality. However, little information on the nutritional status of children is available from informal settlements. During the period of post-election violence in Kenya during December 2007–March 2008, food shortages were widespread within informal settlements in Nairobi. To investigate whether food insecurity due to post-election violence resulted in high prevalence of acute and chronic malnutrition in children, a nutritional survey was undertaken among children aged 6-59 months within two villages in Kibera, where the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts population-based surveillance for infectious disease syndromes. During 25 March–4 April 2008, a structured questionnaire was administered to caregivers of 1,310 children identified through surveillance system databases to obtain information on household demographics, food availability, and child-feeding practices. Anthropometric measurements were recorded on all participating children. Indices were reported in z-scores and compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) 2005 reference population to determine the nutritional status of children. Data were analyzed using the Anthro software of WHO and the SAS. Stunting was found in 47.0% of the children; 11.8% were underweight, and 2.6% were wasted. Severe stunting was found in 23.4% of the children; severe underweight in 3.1%, and severe wasting in 0.6%. Children aged 36-47 months had the highest prevalence (58.0%) of stunting while the highest prevalence (4.1%) of wasting was in children aged 6-11 months. Boys were more stunted than girls (p<0.01), and older children were significantly (p<0.0001) stunted compared to younger children. In the third year of life, girls were more likely than boys to be wasted (p<0.01). The high prevalence of chronic malnutrition suggests that stunting is a sustained problem within this urban informal settlement, not specifically resulting from the relatively brief political crisis. The predominance of stunting in older children indicates failure in growth and development during the first two years of life. Food programmes in Kenya have traditionally focused on rural areas and refugee camps. The findings of the study suggest that tackling childhood stunting is a high priority, and there should be fostered efforts to ensure that malnutrition-prevention strategies include the urban poor.

Association between Infant- and Child-feeding Index and Nutritional Status: Results from a Cross-sectional Study among Children Attending an Urban Hospital in Bangladesh.

Integration of infant- and child-feeding index (ICFI) addressing the multidimensional child-feeding practices into one age-specific summary index is gaining importance. This cross-sectional study was aimed at understanding the association between the ICFI and the nutritional status of 259 children, aged 6-23 months, who attended the paediatric outpatient department of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh. The mean length-for-age z-score (LAZ) of children aged 12-23 months was significantly (p<0.05) higher among those who were at the upper ICFI tercile compared to those who were at the middle or lower ICFI tercile (-2.01 and -3.20 respectively). A significant correlation was found between the ICFI and the LAZ (r=0.24, p=0.01 and r=0.29, p=0.01) in children aged 6-8-months and 12-23-months. Multivariable analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, also found a significant association between the ICFI and the LAZ (β=0.13, p=0.03). The predictive capability of the proposed ICFI on nutritional status of children, especially length-for-age, needs to be further evaluated prospectively among healthy children in the community.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Nutritional Status of Children in Lao PDR: Effects of Household and Community Factors.

The prevalence of undernutrition among Lao children is among the highest in the region. However, the determinants of childhood undernutrition in Laos have not been fully analyzed. This paper, using the dataset of the Lao Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 3, which is a nationally-representative sample in Laos, investigated the effects of socioeconomic factors at both household and community levels on the nutritional status of children. In the estimation, a multilevel linear model with random-intercepts was used for estimating the determinants of child anthropometric indices. The empirical results revealed that children from households in southern Laos and from ethnic minority groups were less-nourished. Level of education of parents, attitudes of mothers towards domestic violence, assets of household, local health services, and the condition of sanitation and water were considered to be important determinants of nutritional status of children. The pattern of growth-faltering in children by age was identified. Children aged 12-59 months were less-nourished than those aged 0-11 months. The empirical results were consistent with the collective household model which incorporates a decision-making process within the household. Since there is scarce evidence about the predictors of childhood undernutrition in Laos, the findings of this study will serve as a benchmark for future research.

Risk Factors Associated with Severe Underweight among Young Children Reporting to a Diarrhoea Treatment Facility in Bangladesh.

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a serious health problem among young children in Bangladesh. PEM increases childhood morbidity and mortality. Information is needed on the major risk factors for PEM to assist with the design and targeting of appropriate prevention programmes. To compare the underlying characteristics of children, aged 6-24 months, with or without severe underweight, reporting to the Dhaka Hospital of ICDDR,B in Bangladesh, a case-control study was conducted among 507 children with weightfor- age z-score (WAZ) <-3 and 500 comparison children from the same communities with WAZ >-2.5. There were no significant differences between the groups in age [overall mean±standard deviation (SD) 12.6±4.1 months] or sex ratio (44% girls), area of residence, or year of enrollment. Results of logistic regression analysis revealed that severely-underweight children were more likely to have: undernourished mothers [body mass index (BMI) <18.5, adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.6-5.4] who were aged <19 years (AOR=3.0, 95% CI 1.9-4.8) and completed <5 years of education (AOR=2.7, 95% CI 1.9-3.8), had a history of shorter duration of predominant breastfeeding (<4 months, AOR=2.3, 95% CI 1.6-3.3), discontinued breastfeeding (AOR=2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.5), and had higher birth-order (>3 AOR=1.8, 95% CI 1.2- 2.7); and fathers who were rickshaw-pullers or unskilled day-labourers (AOR=4.4; 95% CI 3.1-6.1) and completed <5 years of education (AOR=1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.2), came from poorer families (monthly income of Tk <5,000, AOR=2.7, 95% CI 1.9-3.8). Parental education, economic and nutritional characteristics, child-feeding practices, and birth-order were important risk factors for severe underweight in this population, and these characteristics can be used for designing and targeting preventive intervention programmes.

Influence of care practices on nutritional status of Ghanaian children

A community-based longitudinal study was conducted in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region of Ghana with the objective of assessing how caregiving practices influence nutritional status of young children in Ghana. The study subjects were one hundred mothers with infants between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Each child was visited at home monthly for a period of six months. On each visit, information was collected on caregiver household and personal hygiene, child's immunization status, child's dietary diversity, caregiver responsiveness during feeding, caregiver hygienic practices related to feeding and child's weight and length. At the end of the study, summary scores were generated for each variable and quality of care practice determined based on their distribution. Classification of child nutritional status was based on z-scores for both weight-for-age and length-for-age. The results revealed that caregivers who exhibited better quality of care practice had well-nourished children. Such caregivers were more likely to practice good household and personal hygiene than those of poorly nourished children (97.1% vs 31.8%, p<0.001). They were also more likely to complete their children's immunization schedules (88.2% vs 62.2%, p< 0.001), provide good quality diets from highly diversified sources (79% vs 23%, p<0.001), exhibit high responsiveness during feeding (100% vs 22.7%, p<0.001) and feed under hygienic conditions (100% vs 22.7%, p<0.001). Based on the findings it was concluded that good caregiving practices are associated with improved child nutritional status.

A TABLE OF NUTRITIONAL INDEX OF CHILDREN / 营养学报

I have found a rule that when a child's body height increases every 3.8cm the weight gain is 1 kg, and this is true in the period before the child's height reaching to 125cm. According to this rule, a standard body weight may be formulated as follows:Standard body weight(kg) = 3+where 3 is the mean neonatal weight in kg, 50 is the mean neonatal height in cm.Then, for the aim of evaluating the nutritional status of a child, a nutritional index of a child (NIC) was proposed.I proposed 100 to be the standard value of NIC. The nutritional index of an individual child actually represents the ratio of the actual body weight to the standard weight.For the practice, one can find the value of NIC from the given table if the body weight and height of a child are known. So it may be useful in nurseries and pediatric clinics.