Situación nutricional en los primeros 1000 días del ciclo vital: una puesta al día de los datos disponibles en Argentina / Nutritional situation in the first 1000 days of life: an UpDate of the available data in Argentina

Introducción: Los primeros 1000 días de vida representan un período crítico del ciclo vital que impacta en el estado de salud de la mujer y de la progenie. Objetivo: Realizar una revisión sobre la información disponible con relación al estado nutricional materno-infantil, la lactancia materna y los hábitos alimentarios en esta etapa de la vida en el territorio de la Argentina. Métodos: Búsqueda de información de investigaciones realizadas en el país en niños y niñas de 0 a 2 años, embarazadas y mujeres en período de lactancia, publicadas en el período 2013-2020. Resultados: Los datos disponibles muestran que la alimentación tanto en las mujeres como en los niños y las niñas puede ser deficiente en nutrientes críticos, asociada a un perfil epidemiológico con prevalencia de sobrepeso. La baja talla, un indicador de malnutrición intergeneracional, se describe en una proporción de aproximadamente el 8% al 9% tanto en los menores de 2 años como en las gestantes, en tanto que la proporción de bajo peso se encuentra en el orden del 2 % al 10%, respectivamente. Los datos sobre lactancia materna revelan que aún no se alcanza a garantizar una cobertura satisfactoria; solo del 36,5% al 63,4% de los niños reciben lactancia materna exclusiva al sexto mes. La deficiencia de hierro y la anemia siguen siendo problemáticas frecuentes y en los pocos estudios regionales disponibles se encuentran resultados variables según la región y la población estudiada. Conclusión: Tanto los resultados de las encuestas nacionales como los procedentes de pequeños estudios poblacionales regionales muestran que las condiciones de vulnerabilidad social comprometen el estado nutricional durante estos primeros 1000 días de vida. Si bien se han implementado en el país en los últimos años una serie de programas e intervenciones de ayuda alimentaria, no existe información respecto del impacto que dichas políticas públicas han tenido en la población

Introduction: The first 1000 days of life represent a critical period of the life cycle that impacts the health status of women and their offspring. Objective: To carry out a review of the information available in relation to the maternal and infant nutritional status, breastfeeding and eating habits at this stage of life in the territory of Argentina. Methods: Search for information on research performed in Argentina on infants from 0 to 2 years of age, pregnant women and lactating women, published in the period 2013-2020. Results: The available data show that the diet of both women and children can be deficient in critical nutrients, associated with an epidemiological profile with prevalence of overweight. Short stature, an indicator of intergenerational malnutrition, is described in a proportion of approximately 8% to 9% in both those under 2 years of age and in pregnant women, while the proportion of underweight is in the order of 2% at 10% respectively. Data on breastfeeding reveal that satisfactory coverage has not yet been guaranteed; only 3,5% to 63,4% of children are exclusively breastfed at the sixth month. Iron deficiency and anemia continue to be frequent problems and the few available regional studies find variable results depending on the region and population studied. Conclusion: Both the results of national surveys and those from small regional population studies show that conditions of social vulnerability compromise nutritional status during these first 1,000 days of life. Although a series of food aid programs and interventions have been implemented in the country in recent years, there is no information regarding the impact that these public policies have had on the populatio

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: A Cross-Sectional Study on a Mexican Population Using an Online Questionnaire (COV-AHQ).

Mexico has become one of the most highly affected countries by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Latin America. Therefore, efficient vaccination programs are needed to address COVID-19 pandemic. Although recent advances around the world have made it possible to develop vaccines in record time, there has been increasing fear and misinformation around the vaccines. Hence, understanding vaccine hesitancy is imperative for modeling successful vaccination strategies. In this study, we analyzed the attitude and perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccination, in a Mexican population (n = 1,512), using the proposed COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy Questionnaire (COV-AHQ) (Cronbach's alpha > 0.8), which evaluates a mild perception of danger and contamination with respect to COVID-19, a moderate perception of xenophobia generated throughout COVID-19 quarantine, fear of adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination, and hesitancy of parent toward vaccination of children; furthermore, a section including sociodemographic variables was included. According to the results of this study, the statistical correlation analysis of the general vaccination posture seems to correlate significantly (p < 0.05) with a mild perception of danger and contamination with respect to COVID-19, a moderate perception of xenophobia generated throughout COVID-19 quarantine, hesitancy of parent toward vaccination of children, willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine, previous influenza vaccination, perception of the vaccine that could help the economy of country, occupation, gender, age, and participants actively researching COVID-19 vaccine information. An in-depth analysis assisted by binary logistic regression concluded that the young adult population around ages 18-34 years are the most likely to get vaccinated. This posture seems to be highly influenced by a mild perception of danger and contamination with respect to COVID-19, a moderate perception of xenophobia generated throughout COVID-19 quarantine, fear of adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination, and hesitancy of parents toward vaccination of children. While their own personal religious beliefs and economic status, the level of education does not seem to have an effect on the willingness to get vaccinated neither did having a previous COVID-19 diagnosis or even knowing someone with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Health authorities and policymakers could use the results of this study to aid in modeling vaccination programs and strategies and identify population groups with high vaccine hesitancy prevalence and assess significant public health issues.

Parent's Perspective towards Child COVID-19 Vaccination: An Online Cross-Sectional Study in Mexico.

COVID-19 vaccination programs continue in child populations. Thus, parents' attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination of their children is crucial for these strategies to succeed. The present study derives from the application of an online COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance & Hesitancy Questionnaire (COV-AHQ) in which we measure parent's hesitancy towards children's vaccination (section 4 of the COV-AHQ) and other significant factors. A logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise method was used to quantify the associations between factors and parent's hesitancy. According to the correlation analysis, the most representative factors predicting vaccine hesitancy/acceptance were positive attitude towards vaccination, parents believing that the COVID-19 vaccine will enhance the economic situation of the country, parents actively researching information, having the willingness to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine themselves, and the possibility of their children developing adverse effects. Our findings also showed that parents are highly interested in having their children vaccinated. Nonetheless, parents expressed high levels of concern involving their children in developing adverse effects from the vaccine. In addition, obtaining influenza immunization prompted interest in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine, and younger-aged parents are much more concerned with having their children vaccinated. Therefore, in order to ensure successful vaccination programs, policymakers and health authorities should design strategies to gain confidence and provide security amongst the population, including giving continuous information about the benefits of vaccination and presenting the frequency of side effects to bring parents on board with vaccinating their children.