Background: Malnutrition is a major cause of child morbidity and mortality. There are several interventions to prevent the condition but it is unclear how well they are taken up by both malnourished and well nourished children and their mothers and the extent to which this is influenced by socio-economic factors. We examined socio-economic factors, health outcomes and the uptake of interventions to prevent malnutrition by mothers of malnourished and well-nourished in under-fives attending Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital (PML).
Methods: An unmatched case control study of malnourished and well-nourished children and their mothers was conducted at PML, the largest facility for managing malnutrition in Ghanaian children. Malnourished children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition were recruited and compared with a group of well-nourished children attending the hospital. Weight-for-height was used to classify nutritional status. Record forms and a semi-structured questionnaire were used for data collection, which was analysed with Stata 11.0 software.
Results: In all, 182 malnourished and 189 well-nourished children and their mothers/carers participated in the study. Children aged 6-12 months old formed more than half of the malnourished children. The socio-demographic factors associated with malnutrition in the multivariate analysis were age ≤24 months and a monthly family income of ≤200 GH Cedis. Whereas among the health outcomes, low birth weight, an episode of diarrhoea and the presence of developmental delay were associated with malnutrition. Among the interventions, inadequate antenatal visits, faltering growth and not de-worming one's child were associated with malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. Immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation were not associated with malnutrition. Missed opportunities for intervention were encountered.
Conclusion: Poverty remains an important underlying cause of malnutrition in children attending Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital. Specific and targeted interventions are needed to address this and must include efforts to prevent low birthweight and diarrhoea, and reduce health inequalities. Regular antenatal clinic attendance, de-worming of children and growth monitoring should also be encouraged. However, further studies are needed on the timing and use of information on growth faltering to prevent severe forms of malnutrition.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0496-3 | DOI Listing |
Langenbecks Arch Surg
January 2025
Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Purpose: Optimal management of retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma (RPS) often requires extensive tumor resections, frequently involving gastrointestinal organs. The impact of these procedures on the nutritional status and hemoglobin (Hb) levels of RPS patients remain unexplored. In this study, we aimed to evaluate preoperative nutritional status as well as the prevalence of anemia in RPS patients, and to investigate longitudinal changes throughout the disease course in order to identify potential strategies for prehabilitation.
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January 2025
Department of Animal Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
Background: is associated with environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and malnutrition in children. infection could be a linchpin between livestock fecal exposure and health outcomes in low-resource smallholder settings.
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Front Nutr
January 2025
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Introduction: Adolescence is a phase of life marked by rapid growth. Adequate nutrition is essential during this developmental stage, leading to significant physical performance, improved cognitive ability, and productivity. Improving adolescent girls' nutrition is crucial for breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, but research in Pakistan has largely focused on children under five and pregnant women, often neglecting this vulnerable group.
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January 2025
Mobility Impairment Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Background: Several studies have assessed the epidemiology of sarcopenia in Iran with conflicting results, but comprehensive information has remained limited. Therefore, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of sarcopenia and its associated factors among Iranian population.
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Front Nutr
January 2025
National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Introduction: Malnutrition contributes to approximately 45% of deaths among under 5 years children in low and middle-income countries. Poor maternal knowledge and failure to comply with recommended Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are known risk factors for malnutrition but there are inconsistencies in the literature. Therefore, this cross-sectional study of 100 mother-child pairs in district Gujranwala aimed to assess maternal nutritional literacy (MNL) and maternal feeding practices (MFP) and their ultimate impacts on child growth.
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