Association of Sociodemographic Factors and Maternal Educational Attainment with Child Development among Families Living below the Poverty Line in the State of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil.

Maternal educational attainment has been identified as relevant to several child health and development outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the association of sociodemographic and maternal education factors with child development in families living below the poverty line. A cross-sectional study was conducted through telephone contact from May to July 2021 in Ceará, a state in Northeastern Brazil. The study population comprised families with children up to six years of age participating in the cash transfer program "Mais infância". The families selected to participate in this program must have a monthly per capita income of less than US$16.50. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire version 3 was applied to assess the children's development status. The mothers reported maternal educational attainment as the highest grade and or degree obtained. The final weighted and adjusted model showed that maternal schooling was associated with the risk of delay in all domains except for the fine motor domain. The risk of delay in at least one domain was 2.5-fold higher in mothers with a lower level of schooling (95% CI: 1.6-3.9). The findings of this study suggest that mothers with higher educational attainment have children with better child development outcomes.

Positive Parenting Behaviors and Child Development in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-Based Study.

Parenting practices have been identified as a key determinant of children's developmental outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of parenting practices with child development in a cross-sectional population-based study in a low-income state in northeastern Brazil. The study included data on 3566 caregiver−child pairs, and the children were aged 0−66 months. Positive parenting behaviors (PPBs) were conceptualized in areas of interactive play, social development, and speech and language interactions. Child development was evaluated using the Brazilian Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationships. We found that a greater number of PPBs was associated with better child development domain scores. Among infants < 1 year, each additional PPB was associated with a 0.32 standardized mean difference (SMD) greater communication (95% CI: 0.24−0.41) and 0.38 SMD greater problem-solving scores (95% CI: 0.24−0.52). Among children aged 4−6 years old, each additional PPB was associated with improved communication (SMD: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.13−0.32), problem solving (SMD: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.10−0.32) and personal−social domain scores (SMD: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.17−0.36). Our findings indicate that PPB were robustly associated with better outcomes across developmental domains among Brazilian children. Programs and interventions that support PPB can contribute to improvements in development outcomes.

Undernutrition and short duration of breastfeeding association with child development: a population-based study

Abstract Objective: To explore the relationship of undernutrition and the short duration of breastfeeding with child development of children 0-66 months of age residing in Ceará, Brazil. Methods: The authors of the present study utilized population-based data from children enrolled in the Study on Maternal and Child Health in Ceará, Brazi (PESMIC). Children's development was assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire third version, validated in Brazil. Undernutrition was accessed through anthropometric measures obtained by trained staff. Breastfeeding information was obtained through the mothers' report and confirmed in the child's governmental booklet. The authors used logistic regressions adjusted for sample clusters used in PESMIC design in a theoretical model for known determinants of child development following the World Health Organization nurturing framework. Results: A total of 3,566 children were enrolled in the sixth PESMIC study and had their development assessed. The authors found that 8.2%, 3.0%, 2.1%, and 3.6% of children were stunted, underweight, or wasted, at the time of the interview, respectively. All studied factors were associated with a higher prevalence of child development impairment in at least one of the assessed domains. Underweight was the factor with the strongest effect, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 4,14 (2,26-7,58), p < 0.001. Breastfeeding for up to two months compared to more than six months (AOR2,08 (1,38-3,12)) was also associated. Conclusions: The authors found that undernutrition and short duration of breastfeeding are associated with development outcomes among Brazilian children. As a result, integrated nutritional programs may improve child development outcomes.

Undernutrition and short duration of breastfeeding association with child development: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of undernutrition and the short duration of breastfeeding with child development of children 0-66 months of age residing in Ceará, Brazil. METHODS: The authors of the present study utilized population-based data from children enrolled in the Study on Maternal and Child Health in Ceará, Brazil (PESMIC). Children's development was assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire third version, validated in Brazil. Undernutrition was accessed through anthropometric measures obtained by trained staff. Breastfeeding information was obtained through the mothers' report and confirmed in the child's governmental booklet. The authors used logistic regressions adjusted for sample clusters used in PESMIC design in a theoretical model for known determinants of child development following the World Health Organization nurturing framework. RESULTS: A total of 3,566 children were enrolled in the sixth PESMIC study and had their development assessed. The authors found that 8.2%, 3.0%, 2.1%, and 3.6% of children were stunted, underweight, or wasted, at the time of the interview, respectively. All studied factors were associated with a higher prevalence of child development impairment in at least one of the assessed domains. Underweight was the factor with the strongest effect, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 4,14 (2,26-7,58), p < 0.001. Breastfeeding for up to two months compared to more than six months (AOR 2,08 (1,38-3,12)) was also associated. CONCLUSIONS: The authors found that undernutrition and short duration of breastfeeding are associated with development outcomes among Brazilian children. As a result, integrated nutritional programs may improve child development outcomes.

Surgical outcome following rotator cuff tear repair in a low-income population. Impact of obesity and smoking.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidities and socioeconomic issues impact outcome of rotator cuff tear (RCT) repair. There are no data on RCT repair outcome from developing regions. We determined the impact of obesity and smoking following RCT repair in a low-income population. METHODS: This is a retrospective case series. Forty-seven shoulders of 42 patients subjected to open or arthroscopic repair of a RCT with a minimum of 2 years follow-up were cross-sectionally evaluated. Patients were seen in the Orthopaedic Service of the Hospital Geral de Fortaleza-CE, Brazil between March and September 2018. RCT were classified as partial or full-thickness lesions. Fatty infiltration (Goutallier) and tendon retraction (Patte) were recorded as well as obesity (BMI > 30), literacy [>/≤ 8 school years (SY)] and smoking status 6 months prior to surgery (present/absent). Outcomes included pain (visual analogue scale; VAS, 0-10 cm), range of motion [active forward flexion and external rotation (ER)], UCLA and ASES scoring. RESULTS: Patients were 59.9 ± 7.4 years-old, 35(74.4%) female with 19 (17.1-30.2 IQR) median of months from diagnosis to surgery and 25 median months of follow-up (26.9-34.0 IQR); over 90% declared < 900.00 US$ monthly family income and two-thirds had ≤8 SY. Forty patients (85.1%) had full-thickness tears, 7 (14.9%) had Goutallier ≥3 and over 80% had < Patte III stage. Outcomes were similar regardless of fatty infiltration or tendon retraction staging. There were 17 (36.1%) smokers and 13 (27.6%) obese patients. Outcome was similar when comparing obese vs non-obese patients. Smokers had more pain (P = 0.043) and less ER (P = 0.029) with a trend towards worse UCLA and ASES scores as compared to non-smokers though differences did not achieve minimal clinically important difference (MCID) proposed for surgical RCT treatment. After adjusting for obesity, VAS and ER values in smokers were no longer significant (P = 0.2474 and 0.4872, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our data document outcomes following RCT repair in a low-income population. Smoking status but not obesity impacted RCT repair outcome though not reaching MCID for surgical treatment.

Maternal and neonatal factors associated with child development in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The first 1000 days of life are a critical period when the foundations of child development and growth are established. Few studies in Latin America have examined the relationship of birth outcomes and neonatal care factors with development outcomes in young children. We aimed to assess the association between pregnancy and neonatal factors with children's developmental scores in a cross-sectional, population-based study of children in Ceará, Brazil. METHODS: Population-based, cross-sectional study of children aged 0-66 months (0-5.5 years) living in Ceará, Brazil. We examined the relationship of pregnancy (iron and folic acid supplementation, smoking and alcohol consumption) and neonatal (low birth weight (LBW) gestational age, neonatal care interventions, and breastfeeding in the first hour) factors with child development. Children's development was assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-BR). We used multivariate generalized linear models that accounted for clustering sampling to evaluate the relationship of pregnancy and neonatal factors with development domain scores. FINDINGS: A total of 3566 children were enrolled. Among pregnancy factors, children whose mothers did not receive folic acid supplementation during pregnancy had lower fine motor and problem-solving scores (p-values< 0.05). As for neonatal factors, LBW was associated with 0.14 standard deviations (SD) lower (CI 95% -0.26, - 0.02) communication, 0.24 SD lower (95% CI: - 0.44, - 0.04) fine motor and 0.31 SD lower (CI 95% -0.45, - 0.16) problem-solving domain scores as compared to non-LBW children (p values < 0.05). In terms of care, newborns that required resuscitation, antibiotics for infection, or extended in-patient stay after birth had lower development scores in selected domains. Further, not initiating breastfeeding within the first hour after birth was associated with lower gross motor and person-social development scores (p-values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy and neonatal care factors were associated with later child development outcomes. Infants at increased risk of suboptimal development, like LBW or newborns requiring extended in-patient care, may represent groups to target for supplemental intervention. Further, early integrated interventions to prevent adverse pregnancy and newborn outcomes may improve child development outcomes.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Development Outcomes in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-based Study.

INTRODUCTION: More than 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries. Adverse childhood experiences, maternal mental health, and intimate partner violence are negatively associated with child development outcomes. The relationship of these risk factors with child communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development scores in Brazil are assessed. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional study of preschool children living in the state of Ceará, Brazil, in 2017 was conducted. Child development was assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Adverse childhood experiences for children were self-reported by the participants' mothers using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Adverse Childhood Experiences Study‒adapted metric. Maternal mental health and intimate partner violence were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Sample-adjusted multivariable generalized linear models with interaction terms were used to determine the association of intimate partner violence, maternal mental health, and adverse childhood experiences with developmental outcomes and identify possible moderators. Data were analyzed between 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: Children exposed to ≥3 adverse childhood experiences had -0.12 (95% CI= -0.24, 0) lower communication, -0.25 (95% CI= -0.46, -0.03) lower gross motor, -0.27 (95% CI= -0.47, -0.07) lower fine motor, and -0.17 (95% CI= -0.3, -0.03) lower personal-social domain scores than children with no adverse childhood experiences. Furthermore, the greater number of adverse childhood experiences was linearly associated with lower developmental scores. Maternal mental health and intimate partner violence were also associated with lower development scores. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse childhood experiences were independently associated with developmental outcomes in Brazilian children. Community-based interventions to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences, intimate partner violence, and maternal mental health may benefits child development outcomes.

Environmental, Socioeconomic, Maternal, and Breastfeeding Factors Associated with Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-Based Study.

Childhood obesity is now an epidemic in many countries worldwide and is known to be a multifactorial condition. We aimed to examine the relationship of environmental, socioeconomic, and nutritional factors with childhood overweight and obesity. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of children from 2 to 6 years of age in Ceará, Brazil. Children's nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI) Z scores categorized as overweight and obesity. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between the factors with overweight and obesity. A total of 2059 children participated, of which 50.4% were male. The mean age was 46 ± 17 months, with a prevalence of overweight and obesity of 12.0% (95% CI 10.7-13.6) and 8.0% (6.7-9.5), respectively. In multivariate analysis, the probability of childhood obesity increased as family income increased (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.6 (95% CI 0.37-0.95), p-value = 0.03). Moreover, families with fewer children had more than 30% fewer overweight children (aHR 0.68; 95% CI 0.48-0.96). Environmental, socioeconomic, and child nutritional factors were associated with overweight and obesity. The results provided could be used to design integrated interventions spanning from conception, or earlier, through the first years of life and may improve child nutritional outcomes.

Factors associated with non-vaccination against measles in northeastern Brazil: Clues about causes of the 2015 outbreak.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be effectively prevented through vaccination. The recent increase in vaccination coverage was successful in reducing the mortality globally of the disease by 74%. As a whole, the Americas have been considered a disease-free zone. However, it is known that if an immunization programs fails, there will be an accumulation of susceptible people that can lead to disease outbreaks. Recently, both the United States and Brazil faced outbreaks of measles. The present study aims to identify the determining factors of non-vaccination in Brazil in two different vaccination coverage moments, to provide clues as to the causes of current outbreaks. Data were drawn from five population-based cross-sectional studies that surveyed a representative sample of preschool children from 1987 to 2007 (9585 children in total). To assess children's vaccination status, two different information sources were used: information provided by mothers and information from children's health cards. Multivariate analyses with logistic binary regression models were conducted. After adjustment for confounding factors, it was observed that in 1987, with 48.2% vaccination coverage, socioeconomic, maternal, nutritional factors and access to health facilities were important, while in 2007 (96.7% coverage), nutritional and maternal factors were important. Distinct patterns of determinants of non-vaccination were also found. In addition, the low coverage in 1987 resulted in a current pool of adults who were not immunized as children; this may have contributed to the beginning of the current Brazilian outbreak. Globally, there are two standards of vaccination coverage (low and high). Therefore, discussion of the determinants of non-vaccination is important. Our findings suggest vulnerable groups should receive special attention to ensure they are protected. It is also important to consider the possible impact of pools of adults not immunized.

Reducing child mortality: the contribution of Ceará state, northeast of Brazil, on achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 in Brazil.

To describe the experience of Ceará, Northeast of Brazil, state on improving child survival, over a 20 year period, and discuss its contribution to Brazil's progress toward the achievement of MDG 4. Five population-based, statewide household surveys, with children <3 years of age, known as PESMIC (Mother and Child Health Survey of Ceará), were conducted in 1987, 1990, 1994, 2001 and 2007. They aimed to investigate levels and causes of mortality and access to child health services. The cluster sampling of 8,000 households identified 2,000 children on average. They used the same methodological approach and indicators. Important changes occurred in demographic and health indicators in the 20 year period, including 81 % reduction in the infant mortality rate, 43 % increase in breastfeeding rate and the achievement of a 95 % immunization rate. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition declined from 28 to 13 % and acute malnutrition from 13 to 5 %. Diarrheal diseases contributed with 36.6 % to the infant mortality in 1986 and 3.9 % in 2007. The major improvements in child health contributed substantially to the progress on MDG 4 in Brazil. Results of the 5 surveys produced reliable information for planning and evaluation that contributed to the remarkable progress made by the state.

Preliminary study on tubuloglomerular dysfunction and evidence of renal inflammation in patients with visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a re-emerging zoonosis of worldwide distribution. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and malondialdehyde (MDA) are inflammation biomarkers that have never been investigated in VL. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between renal abnormalities and inflammation biomarkers in VL. This study is a preliminary prospective study with 16 VL adult patients evaluated before treatment compared with a group of 13 healthy volunteers and 5 VL patients evaluated after treatment. Urinary concentration and acidification tests were performed. MCP-1 and MDA were quantified in urine. Urinary concentration deficit was found in all VL patients before (100%) and four VL patients after (80%) treatment. Urinary acidification deficit was found in nine cases before (56.2%) and two cases after (40%) treatment. Urinary MCP-1 (374 ± 359 versus 42 ± 29 pg/mg creatinine, P = 0.002) as well as urinary MDA (5.4 ± 2.6 versus 2.0 ± 0.8 µmol/mL) showed significant differences between VL patients and controls. These data show that VL patients present urinary concentration and acidification deficit, which can persist even after specific treatment. Urinary MCP-1 and MDA are elevated in patients with VL, which suggests renal inflammation and incipient renal damage.

Different patterns in a cohort of patients with severe leptospirosis (Weil syndrome): effects of an educational program in an endemic area.

The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in clinical pattern and therapeutic measures in leptospirosis-associated acute kidney injury; a retrospective study with 318 patients in Brazil. Patients were divided according to the time of admission: 1985-1996 (group I) and 1997-2010 (group II). Patients were younger in group I (36 ± 13 versus 41 ± 16 years, P = 0.005) and the numbers of oliguria increased (21% versus 41% in group II, P = 0.014). Higher frequency of lung manifestations was observed in group II (P < 0.0001). Although increased severity, there was a significant reduction in mortality (20% in group I versus 12% in group II, P = 0.03). Mortality was associated with advanced age, low diastolic blood pressure, oliguria, arrhythmia, and peritoneal dialysis, besides a trend to better mortality with penicillin administration. Leptospirosis is occurring in an older population, with a higher number of oliguria and lung manifestations. However, mortality is decreasing and can be the result of changes in treatment.

RIFLE and Acute Kidney Injury Network classifications predict mortality in leptospirosis-associated acute kidney injury.

AIM: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in leptospirosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality in leptospirosis-associated AKI. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in patients with leptospirosis admitted to tertiary hospitals in Brazil. The association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality was investigated. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate risk factors for death. RESULTS: A total of 287 patients were included, with an average age of 37 ± 16 years, and 80.8% were male. Overall mortality was 13%. There was a significant association between these classifications and death. Among non-survivors, 86% were in the class 'failure' and AKIN 3. Increased mortality was observed according to the worse classifications: 'risk' (R; 2%), 'injury' (I; 8%) and 'failure' (F; 23%), as well as in AKIN 1 (2%), AKIN 2 (8%) and AKIN 3 (23%) (P < 0.0001). The worst classifications were significantly associated with death: RIFLE F (odds ratio = 11.6, P = 0.018) and AKIN 3 (odds ratio = 12.8, P = 0.013). Receiver-operator curve for patients with AKI showed high areas under the curve (0.71, 95% confidence interval = 0.67-0.74) for both RIFLE and AKIN classifications in determining the sensitivity for mortality. CONCLUSION: There is a significant association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality in patients with leptospirosis. Initiation of dialysis in patients with RIFLE F and AKIN 3 should always be considered.