Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

National Nutrition Strategies That Focus On Maternal, Infant, And Young Child Nutrition In Southeast Asia Do Not Consistently Align With Regional And International Recommendations, Tuan T. Nguyen, Ashley Darnell, Amy Weissman, Jennifer Cashin, Mellissa Withers, Roger Mathisen, Karin Lapping, Timothy D. Mastro, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

We examined the consistency of national nutrition strategies and action plans (NNS) focusing on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition in Southeast Asia with regional and international recommendations. Between July and December 2017, we identified and extracted information on context, objectives, interventions, indicators, strategies, and coordination mechanisms from the most recent NNS in nine Southeast Asian countries. All NNS described context, objectives, and the following interventions: antenatal care, micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy, breastfeeding promotion, improved complementary feeding, nutrition in emergencies, and food fortification or dietary diversity. Micronutrient supplementation for young children was included in eight NNS; breastfeeding promotion during pregnancy …

Early Breastfeeding Practices Contribute To Exclusive Breastfeeding In Bangladesh, Vietnam And Ethiopia, Phuong Hong Nguyen, Sunny S. Kim, Lan Mai Tran, Purnima Menon, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Limited evidence exists on the complex relationship among interventions, early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), prelacteal feeding and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). We examined whether early breastfeeding practices are associated with EBF and how much improving EIBF and non-prelacteal feeding contributes to increased prevalence of EBF. Survey data were collected in 2010 and 2014 as part of impact evaluations of Alive & Thrive (A&T) interventions to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine effects of interventions and early breastfeeding practices on EBF. Structural equation modelling quantified the direct …

Effect Of The Sims Program On Oral Hygiene Levels Of 5–6-Year-Old Children In The Kampar District, Malaysia: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Nurul Hayati Anwar, Nor Azlida Mohd Nor, Zamros Yuzadi Mohd Yusof

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study evaluated the effect of the “Senyuman Indah Milik Semua” program (SIMSP) versus the existing preschool oral healthcare program (POHP) on children’s oral health and parents’ oral health literacy (OHL) in Kampar district, Malaysia.

Methods: This was a cluster-randomized, matched pair, examiner-blind, controlled trial. Using computer-generated random tables, 14 preschools were allocated to the SIMSP intervention over 6 months and another 14 were allocated to the POHP, which was concealed at the cluster level. Healthy 5–6-year-old children and parents who understood the Malay language were recruited. The SIMSP was comprised of preschool visits by dental …

Can Children Catch Up From The Consequences Of Undernourishment? Evidence From Child Linear Growth, Developmental Epigenetics, And Brain And Neurocognitive Development, Jef L. Leroy, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Pragya Dewan, Maureen M. Black, Robert A. Waterland

Faculty Publications

Recovery from nutritionally induced height deficits continues to garner attention. The current literature on catch-up growth, however, has 2 important limitations: wide-ranging definitions of catch-up growth are used, and it remains unclear whether children can recover from the broader consequences of undernutrition. We addressed these shortcomings by reviewing the literature on the criteria for catch-up in linear growth and on the potential to recover from undernutrition early in life in 3 domains: linear growth, developmental epigenetics, and child brain and neurocognitive development. Four criteria must be met to demonstrate catch-up growth in height: after a period in which a growth-inhibiting …

Association Of Multisetting Community Programs And Policies With Child Body Mass Index: The Healthy Communities Study, Vicki L. Collie-Akers, Stephen B. Fawcett, Jerry A. Schultz, Kandace K. Fleming, Rebecca E. Swinburne Romine, Lorrene D. Ritchie, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., S Sonia Arteaga

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION:

Expert opinion suggests that efforts to address childhood obesity should seek to transform the environments in which children operate. The objective of this study was to describe the extent to which multisetting programs and policies interact with community and child predictors and are associated with child body mass index (BMI) in the 130 US communities participating in the Healthy Communities Study.

METHODS:

For 2 years beginning in fall 2013, we collected data through key informant interviews on community programs and policies related to healthy weight among children that occurred in the 10 years before the interview. We characterized community …

Obesity Is Associated With Depression In Malaysian Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study, Mohd Said Nurumal, Rohulizzat Zainal Abidin, Wisam Nabeel Ibrahim, Muhammad Lokman Md Isa, Muhammad Kamil Che Hasan

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Overweight and obesity, which may lead to depression, have become prevalent among children worldwide. Hence, this study aimed to measure obesity and depression among schoolchildren in Kuantan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three different primary schools in Kuantan by purposive sampling. With consent from their parents/guardians, participants were given a self-administered questionnaire. Demographics and anthropometric measurement data were self-reported on the basis of the school records. Furthermore, body mass index was calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, and chi-square and correlation tests were conducted for the variables.

Results: Among the 300 schoolchildren …

Association Between Breastfeeding And Child Stunting In Mexico, Ana Paola Campos, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Summer Sherburne Hawkins

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Globally, the prevalence of child stunting has been decreasing over the past decades. How-ever, in low-and middle-income countries such as Mexico, stunting is still the most prevalent form of undernutrition affecting a large number of children in the most vulnerable conditions. Breastfeeding has been identified as one of the key affordable and modifiable maternal health behaviors protecting against child stunting. Objective: To examine the association between breastfeeding (defined as never breastfed, any breast-feeding for <6 months, and any breastfeeding for ≥6 months) and other individual-, household-, and area-level factors with child stunting (defined as length/height-for-age-z-score for sex under –2 standard deviations of the World Health Organization child growth standards’ median) in Mexico. Methods: Secondary data analysis using the 2012 Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey, which allowed representativeness of rural and urban areas at national level and among 4 regions in Mexico. Our subset included data on 2,089 singleton Mexican children aged 6–35 months with information on previously identified risk and protective factors for stunting. We conducted fixed-and mixed-effects logistic regression models sequentially controlling for each level of factors. Findings: Overall, 12.3% of children were stunted and 71.1% were breastfed for ≥6 months. Any breast-feeding and being female were consistent protective factors against child stunting across all models. In contrast, child low birthweight, maternal short stature, higher number of children aged <5 years per household, and moderate to severe food insecurity were consistent risk factors for child stunting across all models. Conclusions: According to our findings, efforts to reduce child stunting in Mexico should include prenatal strategies aiming to prevent low birthweight offspring particularly among short-stature women, moderate to severe food insecure households, families with a higher number of children aged <5 years, and indigenous communities. Postnatal components should include multilevel strategies to support breastfeeding.