Background: Stunting and overt malnutrition remain prevalent among school age children in rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire while obesity is increasing in urban areas. Associations of children's nutritional status, infection, physical activity and household characteristics with body composition were analyzed to identify what factors might be contributing to this dual burden of disease.
Methods: Longitudinal growth curve models (LGCM) evaluated associations of micronutrient status, household food security, prevalence and physical activity assessed at three time points with fat free mass and fat mass.
Age-stratified path analyses modeled associations between enteric pathogen reservoirs, transmission pathways and height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) to identify determinants of childhood growth in the Kolkata, India site of the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS). Models tested direct associations of potential pathogen reservoirs with HAZ at 60-day follow-up in separate moderate and severe diarrhea (MSD) case and control cohorts or indirectly when mediated by enteric infections. In the MSD cohort, rotavirus and typical EPEC (tEPEC) infections among children 0-11 months of age and ST-ETEC infections among children 12-23 months of age were associated with lower HAZ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Physical activity (PA) promotion combined with multimicronutrient supplementation (MMNS) among school-age children may reduce fat mass accrual and increase muscle mass through different mechanisms and so benefit child health. This study determined the efficacy of combined interventions on body composition among South African schoolchildren and determined if micronutrients mediate these effects.
Study Design: Longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial of children followed from 2019 to 2021.
Background/aim: School-aged children in low- and middle-income countries carry the highest burden of intestinal helminth infections, such as soil-transmitted helminths (STH). STH infections have been associated with negative consequences for child physical and cognitive development and wellbeing. With the epidemiological transition and rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD), studies have shown that helminth infections may influence glucose metabolism by preventing obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalnutrition and parasitic infections are often interconnected in a vicious cycle. Malnutrition can lead to changes in immune response, which may affect cytokine concentrations and potentially increase susceptibility to infections. In turn, parasitic infections can exacerbate malnutrition by impairing nutrient absorption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A balanced nutrition is important for children's physical and cognitive development; yet, remains a challenge in many parts of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early detection of nutritional deficiency and metabolic syndrome in school-aged children is necessary to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in later life. This study aimed at obtaining baseline data on health, nutritional status, and metabolic markers of NCDs among primary schoolchildren in Côte d'Ivoire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
September 2022
Over the past decades, childhood overweight has increased in many African countries. We examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and body composition in South African primary schoolchildren living in peri-urban settings. MVPA was measured via 7-day accelerometry and body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis in 1090 learners (49.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExecutive functions (EFs) are essential for optimal academic development. Appropriate nutrition and physical activity (PA) have been shown to facilitate optimal cognitive development. Therefore, this study examined whether a 12-week school-based PA and multi-micronutrient supplementation (MMNS) intervention would improve cognitive and academic performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malnutrition, anemia, micronutrient deficiency and parasitic infections continue to impact the nutritional status and health of children in lower-income countries. However, not enough data concerning this issue is available. The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of nutritional indicators, anemia and micronutrient deficiency and their underlying risk factors among schoolchildren in south-eastern Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing among African children potentially predisposing them to greater obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adulthood. This risk may be higher among growth-impaired children who may have greater fat mass. Therefore, we examined the effects of school-based physical activity (PA) promotion and multi-micronutrient supplementation (MMNS) on body composition among South African children enrolled in a longitudinal school-based randomized controlled trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are independent cardiovascular risk factors among children, but have rarely been investigated concurrently in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity (PA) and CRF of primary schoolchildren living in Côte d'Ivoire (CI), South Africa (ZA), and Tanzania (TZ), to test sex- and age-related differences, and to examine whether PA and CRF are associated with each other. Baseline data from an ongoing cluster-randomized controlled trial were used, including 499 children from CI (Taabo, 49% girls, = 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Early childhood malnutrition may result in increased fat mass (FM) among school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We explored whether South African children with shorter stature have greater overall and abdominal FM compared to normal stature children. (2) Methods: Baseline assessments of body composition and weight were determined among school-aged children enrolled in a randomized controlled trial in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, using bioelectrical impedance analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Little is known whether physical activity (PA)-promoting environments are equally accessible to children with divergent socioeconomic status (SES) in low-/middle-income countries. The authors, therefore, examined whether South African children from poorer versus wealthier families living in marginalized communities differed in moderate to vigorous PA and cardiorespiratory fitness. We also tested associations between family car ownership and PA/cardiorespiratory fitness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiovascular fitness has been associated with both executive function and academic achievement in multiple cohort studies including children and adolescents. However, research is scarce among children from low- and middle-income countries. Hence, this paper focuses on South African primary schoolchildren living in marginalized areas and examines if academic achievement and inhibitory control can be explained by children's age, socioeconomic status, soil-transmitted helminth infections, food insecurity, stunting, grip strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChildhood stunting can have negative long-term consequences on cognitive development, academic achievement, and economic productivity later in life. We determined the prevalence of stunting and examined whether stunting and associated risk factors (low dietary diversity, insufficient hemoglobin, food insecurity, and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections) are associated with academic achievement and cognitive function among South African children living in marginalized communities. A cross-sectional sample of 1277 children (aged 5-12 years) was analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
February 2021
The coexistence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors has been reported in school-aged children from the age of nine years, but most evidence stems from high-income countries. This cross-sectional study aimed at describing the cardiovascular health risk, physical activity (PA) behavior and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels of South African primary schoolchildren, and at examining the associations between PA/CRF and a composite measure of cardiovascular risk. Cross-sectional data from 832 primary schoolchildren (grade 1-4) were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To estimate the economic burden of overweight in Bangladesh.
Design: We used data from Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2010. A prevalence-based approach was used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF) for diseases attributable to overweight.
The dual burden of enteric infection and childhood malnutrition continues to be a global health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and death among children. Campylobacter infection, in particular, is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh. We examined longitudinal data to evaluate the trajectories of change in child growth, and to identify associations with Campylobacter infection and household factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence suggests lack of understanding of the association of specific nutrients with different time points of linear growth trajectory.
Objective: We investigated the role of dietary macro- and micronutrients on length-for-age z (LAZ) score trajectory of children across first 24 months of their life.
Methods: The MAL-ED Bangladesh birth cohort study recruited 265 healthy newborn children after birth.
Background: In low- and middle-income countries, infectious diseases remain a key public health issue. Additionally, non-communicable diseases are a rapidly growing public health problem that impose a considerable burden on population health. One way to address this dual disease burden, is to incorporate (lifestyle) health promotion measures within the education sector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Western dietary patterns have been linked with kidney disease. This study investigated the association between Chinese dietary patterns and kidney disease in a Taiwanese population with type 2 diabetes and evaluated dietary fatty acid patterns, a kidney-related dietary biomarker.
Methods And Study Design: We recruited 838 patients with type 2 diabetes and used their dietary and renal data obtained from three repeated measures in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Objective: We quantified the prevalence of vitamin D status in 6-24-month-old underweight and normal-weight children and identified the socio-economic and dietary predictors for status.
Design: Cross-sectional, baseline data from a nutritional intervention study were analysed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of being vitamin D deficient or insufficient with the reference being vitamin D sufficient.
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of underweight and overweight among Bangladeshi adults and to determine if the double burden of underweight and overweight differs by gender and other socio-economic characteristics of individuals.
Design: We used data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Multinominal logistic regression was used to examine associations between the different nutritional statuses of individuals and related determinants.
Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and obesity and weight changes in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: At baseline (2003-05), 1187 diabetic patients aged 30-70 years were recruited to the study, with follow-up surveys completed in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Chronic kidney disease was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min per 1.