Anaemia control and the interpretation of biochemical tests for iron status in children.

Background: Anaemia is one of the world's most prevalent child health problems. Its control in Africa and other developing nations has been hindered by uncertainty regarding its cause. Anaemia control has been particularly problematic in regions where the non-iron deficiency causes of anaemia, are projected to be substantial.

Screening Caregivers of Children for Risky Drinking in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Background and Objectives Alcohol abuse, a significant health problem in South Africa, affects the ability of adults to care for children. Little is known regarding risky alcohol use among child caregivers there. A large population-based study examined the prevalence of, and factors associated with, risky drinking among caregivers of young children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa comparing the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the AUDIT-C screens for hazardous or harmful drinking (referred to here as risky drinking).

In-home fortification with 2.5 mg iron as NaFeEDTA does not reduce anaemia but increases weight gain: a randomised controlled trial in Kenyan infants.

In-home fortification of infants with micronutrient powders (MNPs) containing 12.5 mg iron may increase morbidity from infections; therefore, an efficacious low-dose iron-containing MNP might be advantageous. Effects of iron-containing MNPs on infant growth are unclear.

Compliance with referrals for non-acute child health conditions: evidence from the longitudinal ASENZE study in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Background: Caregiver compliance with referrals for child health services is essential to child health outcomes. Many studies in sub-Saharan Africa have examined compliance patterns for children referred for acute, life-threatening conditions but few for children referred for non-acute conditions. The aims of this analysis were to determine the rate of referral compliance and investigate factors associated with referral compliance in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Cost of childhood diarrhoea in rural South Africa: exploring cost-effectiveness of universal zinc supplementation.

Objective: To describe the cost of diarrhoeal illness in children aged 6-24 months in a rural South African community and to determine the threshold prevalence of stunting at which universal Zn plus vitamin A supplementation (VAZ) would be more cost-effective than vitamin A alone (VA) in preventing diarrhoea.

Design: We conducted a cost analysis using primary and secondary data sources. Using simulations we examined incremental costs of VAZ relative to VA while varying stunting prevalence.

Mental health disorders among caregivers of preschool children in the Asenze study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Given the existing evidence linking parental depression with infant and early child development, our aim was to describe the burden of mental health disorders among caregivers of young children aged 4-6 years living in an environment of poverty and high HIV seroprevalence. We analyzed baseline data from an epidemiologic study of the health and psychosocial needs of preschool-aged children. Primary caregivers of index children recruited from a household survey were screened for common mental disorders using the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire (CDQ).

Clinical and contextual determinants of anthropometric failure at baseline and longitudinal improvements after starting antiretroviral treatment among South African children.

Objectives: To describe baseline nutritional anthropometry and its determinants in a cohort of children commencing HAART, and subsequent longitudinal anthropometric trajectories over 2 years.

Methods: Prospective observational study in a prepubertal cohort of children commencing HAART in Durban, South Africa.

Results: Among 151 children with a median baseline age of 61.

Failure to test children of HIV-infected mothers in South Africa: implications for HIV testing strategies for preschool children.

Objectives: To assess the uptake of HIV testing among preschool children with HIV-positive mothers in a peri-urban population-based study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, an area of high HIV prevalence.

Methods: All children 4-6 years old and their primary caregivers from the area were invited to participate. All participants were asked about prior HIV testing and were offered counselling and voluntary HIV testing irrespective of previous testing.

Effect on longitudinal growth and anemia of zinc or multiple micronutrients added to vitamin A: a randomized controlled trial in children aged 6-24 months.

Background: The benefits of zinc or multiple micronutrient supplementations in African children are uncertain. African children may differ from other populations of children in developing countries because of differences in the prevalence of zinc deficiency, low birth weight and preterm delivery, recurrent or chronic infections such as HIV, or the quality of complementary diets and genetic polymorphisms affecting iron metabolism.The aim of this study was to ascertain whether adding zinc or multiple micronutrients to vitamin A supplementation improves longitudinal growth or reduces prevalence of anemia in children aged 6-24 months.

Comorbidities and mortality among children hospitalized with diarrheal disease in an area of high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Purpose: To describe the profile of comorbidities in children admitted with diarrhea to an urban hospital with high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence in South Africa and to examine the contribution of comorbidities to inpatient mortality.

Methods: Data from a retrospective random sample of 319 children were extracted and analyzed from a total of 1145 children hospitalized for diarrhea in 2001. We used multiple logistic regression models to determine the independent effects of HIV infection, malnutrition, pneumonia and bacteremia on inpatient mortality.