International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition

67-77

Authors: Ibrahim Awad Eljack, Abdel Rahman Al-Asha Hamedel Niel

Objective:To study child health status in Shareq Elneel Locality and its administrative units, Khartoum State, Sudan. Methods: A two stages cluster sampling, cross-sectional study was conducted in Shareq Elneel Locality and it is eight administrative units in Khartoum State, Sudan, in 2008. Questionnaires were collected from the caretakers of 5858child under-5 years of age and anthropometric measurements were taken for children whose parents were consented. Results:69.4% of under 5 years children received the third dose of Poliomyelitis vaccine (Polio3) in the locality, 66.5% of under 5 years children received DPT3 vaccination in the locality, 71.9% of under 5 years children received Measles vaccination in the locality and 91.4% of the children under- 5 years in the locality had immunization card. There was evidence of a significant association between children under -5 measles vaccination and women’s highest level of school attended (P-Value= 0.04). Nearly one third of the under 5 children were moderately underweight and 16.2% them were severely underweight, More than one fifth of under 5 years children were moderately wasted, and 12% of children under -5 years old were severely wasted, 44.6% of children under -5 years of age were moderately stunted with obviously high percentage in the rural administrative units. More than one quarter of the children under- 5 years old were severely stunted and overweight prevalence of children under-5 years old in the locality was 14.6%. Only 21.4% of the children aged less than 2 years in the locality were exclusively breastfed. 27.5% of children under -5 years of age in the locality had diarrhea in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey, highest percentage found in the rural administrative units.6.5% of children under 5 years of age in the locality had fever in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey and nearly one third of under 5 years children in the locality had cough in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey. 87.9% of children targeted by vitamin A supplementation in the locality ever receive vitamin A dose. Conclusions: The study reveal pronounced variations among urban and rural administrative units in regard to many of the survey indicators. Immunization activities do not reach their target in almost all the times in the locality and there were other aspects of child health related to hygiene, poverty, malnutrition and health services like diarrhea, respiratory tract infections and malnutrition which need more consideration to be improved. Malnutrition prevalence was high. The rates of diarrhea and suspected pneumonia are somehow higher in the study area than previous studies figures. Reduce the pronounced variations among urban and rural administrative units in regard to Primary Health Care services and activities in order to improve many of the Child Health indicators in the rural areas. Use effective methods of health promotion and new attractive material of health education in the locality concerning the weak Child Health indicators.

83-89

Authors: Fatima Al-Haddad, Abdulrahman Musaiger, S. Mahmood Al-Qallaf, Kathryn Hart

Background & Objectives: Bahrain is reported to rank amongst the top 10 countries for diabetes prevalence worldwide. In particular, growing numbers of children are being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The objective of this study was to describe the dietary intake of Bahraini children with T1DM as compared to a sample of healthy counterparts and to determine whether the nutrient intakes of Bahraini children with T1DM meet the current recommendations. Design & Setting: This was a case-control study. Dietary intake, estimated using a24-hour dietary recall, for the cases was gathered from the Pediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Unit at the Salmaniya Medical Complex and compared to the 24-hour recalls of children without diabetes recruited from Local Health Centers. Patients & Methods: 50 children aged 6-12 years receiving a confirmed diagnosis of T1DM in the years 2009 and 2010 compared with 55 healthy comparators. Results: Children with T1DM consumed significantly more calories than controls (p<0.001) and significantly more protein relative to their RDA (p<0.029). Both groups failed to meet the RDA values for dietary fiber and for Vitamin D. Sodium intakes were in excess of RDA values although no significant difference was observed between groups (p=0.403). Conclusion: The diets of both children with and without T1DM were found to contain excess protein and sodium and inadequate fiber, vitamin D and calcium. Children with T1DM also appeared to consume excess energy and fat. There is a need to endorse existing dietary guidelines for children with T1DM.

94-102

Authors: Allison E. James, Guy H. Palmer

Childhood undernutrition is a health crisis in the rapidly expanding informal settlements of low-income countries worldwide. Nearly half of Kenyan children in the Kibera settlement, in Nairobi, were reported to be stunted, indicating low height-for-age. Stunted children are at greater risk for poor cognitive and physical health outcomes in the long-term, problems that tend to be perpetuated in subsequent generations. Animal-source foods (ASF) supply a calorically dense source of micro- and macronutrients, and supplementation with ASF has been shown to improve linear growth and cognition. Correspondingly, increasing consumption of ASF by pregnant women and children has been proposed as a means to disrupt the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition caused by food insecurity. Household surveys indicate that consumption of ASF is low in urban slums, despite the availability of these foods in local markets. Here we review the studies addressing the role of ASF in the diets of the urban poor and identify knowledge gaps relevant to improving nutrition by increasing consumption of ASF. Based predominantly on studies in Kibera and greater Nairobi, these gaps include determining the minimal amount and frequency of dietary ASF to prevent stunting, defining how consumer preferences, markets, and income interact to impede or promote ASF consumption, and understanding the interaction between diet and both clinical and sub-clinical enteric disease on growth outcomes.

122-128

Authors: Sunil Kumar, M. Amruth, Prashant Kumar, A.G. Balakrishna, M.C. Prabhudeva

Background:Obesity is defined by WHO “as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue, to the extent that health may be impaired”. The problem of childhood obesity is quite high in rich and affluent countries. 1. To estimate the prevalence of obesity among school children aged 6-15 years in three affluent schools of Tumkur. 2. To study the influencing factors of obesity among school children. Methods: Study Design: Case Control study. Study Settings: Three affluent schools of Tumkur city, Karnataka, South India. Sample size was2000 Students of three affluent schools and duration of study was fromJune to August 2014. Each Child’s height and weight were measured by adopting standard procedure. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using BMI charts based on NCHS (national center for health statistics) standards. A child was considered obese if the BMI was > 95th percentile cutoff point which is specific to the age and sex of the child. To determine the association of (life style) influencing factors of obesity in children, mothers were interviewed in presence of children to gather information’ about their child’s daily (24 hour) activity. Results:Out of 2000 children 66 were obese. The prevalence was 3.3% in school children in the age group of 6-15 years in three affluent schools of Tumkur. In our study, Prevalence of obesity was more in boys (3.47%) on comparison to girls (3.04%). There is increased prevalence of obesity in age group of six, eleven and twelve years. In this study 77.2% cases spent less than 2 hrs in a day and 22.7% cases spent more than 2 hrs in physical activities. Prevalence of obesity was more in children who spent less than 2 hrs in a day in physical activities. This was statistically significant. Conclusions:Prevalence of obesity in school children aged 6-15 yrs is 3.3% in three affluent schools of Tumkur. Prevalence of obesity was more in boys on comparison with girls. Physical activity was the significant influencing factor of obesity among school children.