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Is Exposure to Animal Feces Harmful to Child Nutrition and Health Outcomes? A Multicountry Observational Analysis.

ABSTRACT: AbstractIt has recently been hypothesized that exposure to livestock constitutes a significant risk factor for diarrhea and environmental enteric disorder in young children, which may significantly contribute to undernutrition. To date, though, very little research has documented the extent of exposure to animal feces and whether this exposure is associated with child anthropometry in large samples and diverse settings. This study investigates these issues using data from the Alive and Thrive study conducted in rural areas of Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. These surveys used spot-checks to collect data on proxies of hygiene behaviors such as the cleanliness of mothers, young children, and the homestead environment, including the presence of animal feces. Animal feces were visible in 38-42% of household compounds across the three countries and were positively associated with household livestock ownership and negatively associated with maternal and child cleanliness. One-sided tests from multivariate least squares models for children 6-24 months of age indicate that the presence of animal feces is significantly and negatively associated with child height-for-age z scores in Ethiopia (? = -0.22), Bangladesh (? = -0.13), and in a pooled sample (? = -0.11), but not in Vietnam. There is also suggestive evidence that animal feces may be positively associated with diarrhea symptoms in Bangladesh. The results in this article, therefore, contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that animal ownership may pose a significant risk to child nutrition and health outcomes in developing countries.

SUBMITTER: Headey D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5392649 | biostudies-other | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Is Exposure to Animal Feces Harmful to Child Nutrition and Health Outcomes? A Multicountry Observational Analysis.

Headey Derek D Nguyen Phuong P Kim Sunny S Rawat Rahul R Ruel Marie M Menon Purnima P

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 20161219 4

AbstractIt has recently been hypothesized that exposure to livestock constitutes a significant risk factor for diarrhea and environmental enteric disorder in young children, which may significantly contribute to undernutrition. To date, though, very little research has documented the extent of exposure to animal feces and whether this exposure is associated with child anthropometry in large samples and diverse settings. This study investigates these issues using data from the Alive and Thrive st ...[more]

PMID: 27994099

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Project description:BackgroundNutrition outcomes among young children in Nigeria are among the worse globally. Mother's limited knowledge about food choices, feeding, and health care seeking practices contributes significantly to negative nutrition outcomes for children in most developing countries. Much less is known about the relationship between mother's nutrition-related knowledge and child nutritional outcomes in rural Nigeria. This paper investigates therefore: (i) the association of mother's nutrition-related knowledge with nutrition outcomes of young children living in rural Nigeria, where access to education is limited, and (ii) whether mother's education has a complementary effect on such knowledge in producing positive child nutrition outcomes in such settings.MethodsUsing the Demographic and Health Survey data for Nigeria, we employ both descriptive and regression analyses approaches in analyzing the study's objectives. In particular, we apply ordinary least square (OLS) to investigate the association of mother's nutrition-related knowledge with child HAZ and WHZ while controlling for maternal, child, household and regional characteristics. An index was constructed for mother's nutrition-related knowledge using information on dietary practices, disease treatment and prevention, child immunization, and family planning.ResultsWe found that mother's knowledge is independently and positively associated with HAZ and WHZ scores in young children. Higher levels of mother's education, typically above primary, have a significant, positive association with child HAZ and WHZ scores. We argue that mother's knowledge of health and nutrition may substitute for education in reducing undernutrition in young children among populations with limited access to formal education. However, the present level of mother's education in rural Nigeria appears insufficient to reinforce knowledge in producing better nutrition outcomes for children.ConclusionsThis study suggests promotion of out-of-school (informal) education, such as adult literacy and numeracy classes where women without formal education can gain health and nutrition knowledge, and practices that could enhance child nutrition outcomes in Nigeria.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Early nutrition interventions to improve food knowledge and skills are critical in enhancing the diet quality of children and reducing the lifelong risk of chronic disease. Despite the rise of mobile health (mHealth) apps and their known effectiveness for improving health behaviors, few evidence-based apps exist to help engage children in learning about nutrition and healthy eating. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to describe the iterative development and user testing of Foodbot Factory, a novel nutrition education gamified app for children to use at home or in the classroom and to present data from user testing experiments conducted to evaluate the app. METHODS:An interdisciplinary team of experts in nutrition, education (pedagogy), and game design led to the creation of Foodbot Factory. First, a literature review and an environmental scan of the app marketplace were conducted, and stakeholders were consulted to define the key objectives and content of Foodbot Factory. Dietitian and teacher stakeholders identified priority age groups and learning objectives. Using a quasi-experimental mixed method design guided by the Iterative Convergent Design for Mobile Health Usability Testing approach, five app user testing sessions were conducted among students (ages 9-12 years). During gameplay, engagement and usability were assessed via direct observations with a semistructured form. After gameplay, qualitative interviews and questionnaires were used to assess user satisfaction, engagement, usability, and knowledge gained. RESULTS:The environmental scan data revealed that few evidence-based nutrition education apps existed for children. A literature search identified key nutrients of concern for Canadian children and techniques that could be incorporated into the app to engage users in learning. Foodbot Factory included characters (2 scientists and Foodbots) who initiate fun and engaging dialogue and challenges (minigames), with storylines incorporating healthy eating messages that align with the established learning objectives. A total of five modules were developed: drinks, vegetables and fruit, grain foods, animal protein foods, and plant protein foods. Seven behavior change techniques and three unique gamified components were integrated into the app. Data from each user testing session were used to inform and optimize the next app iteration. The final user testing session demonstrated that participants agreed that they wanted to play Foodbot Factory again (12/17, 71%), that the app is easy to use (12/17, 71%) and fun (14/17, 88%), and that the app goals were clearly presented (15/17, 94%). CONCLUSIONS:Foodbot Factory is an engaging and educational mHealth intervention for the Canadian public that is grounded in evidence and developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts. The use of an iterative development approach is a demonstrated method to improve engagement, satisfaction, and usability with each iteration. Children find Foodbot Factory to be fun and easy to use, and can engage children in learning about nutrition.

Dataset Information

Is Exposure to Animal Feces Harmful to Child Nutrition and Health Outcomes? A Multicountry Observational Analysis.

Publications

Is Exposure to Animal Feces Harmful to Child Nutrition and Health Outcomes? A Multicountry Observational Analysis.

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