scholarly journals Nutrition in pregnancy and early childhood and associations with obesity in developing countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Yang ◽  
Sandra L. Huffman
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
In Pregnancy

Effectiveness of Nutrition-Specific Interventions in Pregnancy and Early Childhood

2017 ◽  
pp. 371-388
Author(s):  
Rebecca Heidkamp ◽  
Adrienne Clermont ◽  
Robert E. Black
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
In Pregnancy

scholarly journals Midday Meals as an Early Childhood Nutrition Intervention: Evidence from Plantation Communities in Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udeni De Silva Perera ◽  
Brett A. Inder
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Random Effects ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Child Malnutrition ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Tea Plantations ◽  
Height For Age ◽  
Weight For Age

Abstract Background: High rates of child malnutrition are a major public health concern in developing countries, particularly among vulnerable communities. Midday meals programs can be effective for combatting childhood malnutrition among older children. However, their use in early childhood is not well documented, particularly within South Asia. Anthropometric measures and other socioeconomic data were collected for children below the age of five years living in selected Sri Lankan tea plantations, to assess the effectiveness of midday meals as a nutrition intervention for improving growth among young children.Methods: The study exploits a natural experiment whereby the provision of the midday meals program is exogenously determined at the plantation level, resulting in comparable treatment and control groups. Longitudinal data is regularly collected on heights and weights of children, between 2013-2015. Standardized weight-for-age, height-for-age, BMI-for-age and weight-for-height are calculated following WHO guidelines, and binary variables for stunting, wasting and underweight are constructed. All modelling uses STATA SE 15. Random-effects regression with instrumental variables is used for modelling standardized growth variables whilst random-effects logistic regression is used for binary outcome variables. Robustness analysis involves different estimation methods and subsamples. Results: The dataset consists of longitudinal data from a total of 1279 children across three tea plantations in Sri Lanka, with 799 children in the treatment group and 480 in the control group. Results show significant positive effects of access to the midday meals program, on the growth of children. A child with access to the midday meals intervention reports an average standardized weight-for-age 0.03 (±0.01) and height-for-age 0.05 (±0.01) units higher than a similar child without access to the intervention. Importantly, access to the intervention reduces the likelihood of being underweight by 0.45 and the likelihood of wasting by 0.47. The results are robust to different model estimations and across different subsamples by gender, birthweight and birth-year cohort. Qualitative data analysis suggests a high viability of implementing similar programs within tea plantations in Sri Lanka.Conclusions: Midday meals programs targeting early childhood can be an effective intervention to address high rates of child malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable communities in developing countries like Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals A case of paramyotonia congenita in pregnancy

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-194
Author(s):  
EK Brooks ◽  
D Schweitzer ◽  
HL Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Symptom Onset ◽  
Autosomal Dominant ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Paramyotonia Congenita ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
In Pregnancy

Paramyotonia congenita is a rare autosomal dominant non-dystrophic myopathy caused by mutations in the SNC4A gene, which encodes for the voltage-gated sodium channel in skeletal muscle. Symptom onset is typically during early childhood and is characterised by myotonia followed by flaccid paralysis or weakness, usually exacerbated by repeated muscle contractions or cold temperatures. Pregnancy has been reported to increase symptoms of myotonia; however, there is limited information in the literature regarding the possible effects of paramyotonia congenita on pregnancy and labour. We present a successful case of a 20-year-old primigravida with confirmed paramyotonia congenita and review the literature regarding paramyotonia congenita during pregnancy.

scholarly journals Risk of leukemia in relation to exposure to ambient air toxics in pregnancy and early childhood

2014 ◽  
Vol 217 (6) ◽  
pp. 662-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E. Heck ◽  
Andrew S. Park ◽  
Jiaheng Qiu ◽  
Myles Cockburn ◽  
Beate Ritz
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Toxics ◽  
In Pregnancy

scholarly journals Preventive Treatments of Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Pregnancy: A Review of Their Effectiveness and Implications for Health System Strengthening

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayode O. Osungbade ◽  
Adeolu O. Oladunjoye
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Iron Deficiency Anaemia ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
Maternal Health Service ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Iron Supplements ◽  
Deficiency Anaemia ◽  
Anaemia In Pregnancy ◽  
In Pregnancy

Objectives. We conducted a review of effectiveness of preventive treatments of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy in developing countries and highlighted their constraints as well as interventions required to strengthen the health services.Methods. Literature from Pubmed (MEDLINE), AJOL, Google Scholar, and Cochrane database was reviewed.Results. Evidence-based preventive treatment options for iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy include prophylaxis iron supplements and food fortification with iron. Evidence abounds on their effectiveness in reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy. However, these prospects are threatened by side effects of iron supplements, low utilization of maternal health service in developing countries, partial implementation of preventive treatments, and weak infrastructure and political commitment to implement mass fortification of local staple foods by national governments.Conclusion. Sustainability of effectiveness of preventive treatments of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy could be achieved if the identified threats are adequately addressed.

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