Why is child malnutrition lower in urban than rural areas?

"While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise. The environment, choices, and opportunities of urbanites differ greatly from those of rural dwellers' from employment conditions to social and family networks to access to health care and other services. Given these differences, understanding the relative importance of the various determinants of child malnutrition in urban and rural areas and especially whether they differ is key to designing context-relevant, effective program and policy responses for stemming malnutrition. This study uses Demographic and Health Survey data from 36 developing countries to address the question of whether the socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas. The purpose is to answer the broader question of why child malnutrition rates are lower in urban areas. The socioeconomic determinants examined are women's education, women's status, access to safe water and sanitation, and household economic status. The analysis finds little evidence of differences in the nature of the socioeconomic determinants or in the strength of their associations with child nutritional status across urban and rural areas. As expected, however, it documents marked differences in the levels of these determinants in favor of urban areas. Large gaps in favor of urban areas are also found in the levels of key proximate determinants of child nutritional status, especially maternal prenatal and birthing care, quality of complementary feeding, and immunization of children. The conclusion is that better nutritional status of urban children is probably due to the cumulative effect of a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, which, in turn, seems to lead to better caring practices for children and their mothers. Given that the nature of the determinants of child nutritional status is largely the same across urban and rural areas, the same program and policy framework can be used to stem malnutrition in both. Efforts to alleviate the most critical socioeconomic constraints specific to the different environments should continue to be prioritized." Authors' Abstractmalnutrition ,Demographic and Health Survey ,

Why is child malnutrition lower in urban than rural areas?

"While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise. The environment, choices, and opportunities of urbanites differ greatly from those of rural dwellers' from employment conditions to social and family networks to access to health care and other services. Given these differences, understanding the relative importance of the various determinants of child malnutrition in urban and rural areas and especially whether they differ is key to designing context-relevant, effective program and policy responses for stemming malnutrition. This study uses Demographic and Health Survey data from 36 developing countries to address the question of whether the socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas. The purpose is to answer the broader question of why child malnutrition rates are lower in urban areas. The socioeconomic determinants examined are women's education, women's status, access to safe water and sanitation, and household economic status. The analysis finds little evidence of differences in the nature of the socioeconomic determinants or in the strength of their associations with child nutritional status across urban and rural areas. As expected, however, it documents marked differences in the levels of these determinants in favor of urban areas. Large gaps in favor of urban areas are also found in the levels of key proximate determinants of child nutritional status, especially maternal prenatal and birthing care, quality of complementary feeding, and immunization of children. The conclusion is that better nutritional status of urban children is probably due to the cumulative effect of a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, which, in turn, seems to lead to better caring practices for children and their mothers. Given that the nature of the determinants of child nutritional status is largely the same across urban and rural areas, the same program and policy framework can be used to stem malnutrition in both. Efforts to alleviate the most critical socioeconomic constraints specific to the different environments should continue to be prioritized." Authors' Abstractmalnutrition ,Demographic and Health Survey ,

Etude Comparative de l’effet de Souches de Champignons Mycorhiziens Arbusculaires sur la Croissance et la Nutrition Minérale du Sésame Cultivé au Sénégal

La croissance et la nutrition minérale de huit variétés locales de Sésame (Sesamum indicum L.) ont été évaluées en réponse à l’inoculation mycorhizienne arbusculaire. Les essais conduits en serre pendant trois mois, ont montré un meilleur développement et une meilleure nutrition minérale chez les plants inoculés comparé aux témoins non inoculés. Les variétés testées se sont révélées très dépendantes de la mycorhization arbusculaire. Le degré de dépendance est généralement supérieur à 55 % et est fortement corrélé à l’isolat fongique et à la variété testée. Il ressort de cette étude que les biofertilisants à base de champignons mycorhiziens procurent des bénéfices importants à la plante, et peuvent être utilisés pour améliorer la croissance et le rendement du sésame.Mots Clés: Biofertilisation, Mycorhizienne, Sesamum indicumThe growth and mineral nutrition of eight local varieties of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) were evaluated in response to arbuscular mycorrhiza inoculation in a greenhouse. There was greater plant growth and better mineral nutrition in inoculated pots compared to non-inoculated controls. The varieties tested showed high dependence on arbuscular mycorrhiza. The degree of dependence was generally greater than 55% and was highly correlated with the fungal isolates and variety tested. It is evident that mycorrhizae fungi-based biofertilisers provide significant benefits to the plant and can be used to improve growth and yield in sesame.Keywords: Biofertilisation, Mycorrhiza, Sesamum indicu

Les fourmis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) de l’enclos d’acclimatation de Katané de la réserve de faune du Ferlo nord (Sénégal)

Les fourmis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), de par leur biomasse, et leur diversité spécifique, jouent un rôle fondamental dans les écosystèmes terrestres tropicaux. Néanmoins, elles sont très peu étudiées et mal connues au Sénégal. Pour contribuer à combler cette lacune nous avons étudié le peuplement des fourmis de l’enclos d’acclimatation de Katané, un site se trouvant dans la Réserve de Faune du Ferlo Nord en zone de savane sahélienne (région de Matam, Sénégal). Les fourmis ont été échantillonnées à l’aide de pièges à fosse et par la chasse à vue. La richesse spécifique (S) est de 21 espèces. Les espèces les plus remarquables par leur abondance et leur distribution sont Crematogaster senegalensis, Monomorium areniphilum, Trichomyrmex abyssinicus, Monomorium bicolor, Pheidole andrieui, Brachyponera sennaarensis, Tetramorium angulinode papyri et Tetramorium sericeiventre. Elles appartiennent toutes à la sous-famille des Myrmicinae sauf B. sennaarensis qui est de la sous-famille des Ponerinae. L’indice de fourragement (9,79), l’indice de Shannon (0,95), l’indice d’équitabilité de Piélou (0,77), l’indice de Simpson (0,14) et l’indice de diversité de Simpson (0,86) peuvent être utilisés comme référentiels pour le suivi de l’évolution des habitats de l’enclos et pour les études de l’état de dégradation des habitats dans le Ferlo en général.© 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés: Fourmis, écosystèmes, diversité, abondance, Ferlo nord, SénégalEnglish Title: Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the acclimatization enclosure of Katane in the north Ferlo wildlife reserve (Senegal)English AbstractAnts (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), by their biomass and species diversity, play a fundamental role in the terrestrial ecosystems of the tropical area. Nevertheless, they are very little studied and poorly known in Senegal. To fill this gap we have chosen to study them in the acclimatization enclosure of Katane in the north Ferlo Reserve Wildlife situated in the Sahel savanna in Matam region (Senegal). They were sampled using pitfall traps and hand collecting. Species richness (S) is 21 species. The most remarkable for their abundances and distributions are Crematogaster senegalensis, Monomorium areniphilum, Trichomyrmex abyssinicus, Monomorium bicolor, Pheidole andrieui, Brachyponera sennaarensis, Tetramorium angulinode papyri and Tetramorium sericeiventre. They all belong to the subfamily Myrmicinae except B. sennaarensis which belongs to the subfamily Ponerinae. The foraging index (9.79), the Shannon index (0.95), the index of Pielou equitability (0.77), the Simpson index (0.14) and the Simpson's index diversity (0.86) can be used as reference for monitoring the biotopes evolution in the enclosure of Katané and for the studies of land degradation in the Ferlo in general.© 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Ants, ecosystems, diversity, abundance, northern Ferlo, Senega

Facteurs de risque de démence dans une population de personnes âgées sénégalaises

Description La démence est devenue un problème de santé publique. Dans le but d’une prévention, il est important de connaitre son épidémiologie au Sénégal. L’objectif de cette étude était d’identifier les facteurs de risque de démence dans une population de personnes âgées sénégalaises. MéthodesUne étude transversale a été réalisée du 01 Mars 2004 au 31 Décembre 2005 auprès d’une population de 872 personnes âgées de 55ans et plus utilisant le Centre Médicosocial et Universitaire de l’Institut de Prévoyance Retraite du Sénégal pour des soins. Par une étude en deux phases, des données sociodémographiques, sur le mode de vie, le réseau social, les antécédents ont été collectées à l’aide d’un questionnaire structuré complété par un examen clinique et une évaluation neuropsychologique. Le diagnostic de démence reposait sur des critères DSM IV-R

Performance of a solid-state frequency-shifted feedback laser in optical ranging

The performance of a frequency-shifted feedback laser (FSFL) using a Nd:YVO4 crystal as gain medium was investigated as light source in high accuracy optical ranging based on optical-frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). The FSFL generates a comb of chirped frequency components over a bandwidth of 45GHz with chirp rates of 3.8×1017Hz/s. In OFDR, distance accuracies better than 25um at a data measurement time of 2ms were demonstrated at a standoff distance of 5m. The results show that the FSFL is a promising light source for high accuracy, high speed 3D measurement applications

The association between malaria parasitaemia, erythrocyte polymorphisms, malnutrition and anaemia in children less than 10 years in Senegal:a case control study

BACKGROUND: Malaria and anaemia (Haemoglobin <11 g/dl) remain frequent in tropical regions and are closely associated. Although anaemia aetiologies are known to be multi-factorial, most studies in malaria endemic areas have been confined to analysis of possible associations between anaemia and individual factors such as malaria. A case control study involving children aged from 1 to 10 years was conducted to assess some assumed contributors to anaemia in the area of Bonconto Health post in Senegal. METHODS: Study participants were randomly selected from a list of children who participated in a survey in December 2010. Children aged from 1 to 10 years with haemoglobin level below 11 g/dl represented cases (anaemic children). Control participants were eligible if of same age group and their haemoglobin level was >= 11 g/dl. For each participant, a physical examination was done and anthropometric data collected prior to a biological assessment which included: malaria parasitaemia infection, intestinal worm carriage, G6PD deficiency, sickle cell disorders, and alpha-talassaemia. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty two children < 10 years of age were enrolled (176 case and 176 controls). In a logistic regression analysis, anaemia was significantly associated with malaria parasitaemia (aOR=5.23, 95%CI[1.1-28.48]), sickle cell disorders (aOR=2.89, 95%CI[1,32-6.34]), alpha-thalassemia (aOR=1.82, 95%CI[1.2-3.35]), stunting (aOR=3.37, 95%CI[1.93-5.88], age ranged from 2 to 4 years (aOR=0.13, 95%CI[0.05-0.31]) and age > 5 years (aOR=0.03, 95%CI[0.01-0.08]). Stratified by age group, anaemia was significantly associated with stunting in children less than 5 years (aOR=3.1 95%CI[1.4 – 6.8]), with, sickle cell disorders (aOR=3.5 95%CI [1.4 – 9.0]), alpha-thalassemia (or=2.4 95%CI[1.1–5.3]) and stunting (aOR=3.6 95%CI [1.6–8.2]) for children above 5 years. No association was found between G6PD deficiency, intestinal worm carriage and children’s gender. CONCLUSION: Malaria parasitaemia, stunting and haemoglobin genetic disorders represented the major causes of anaemia among study participants. Anaemia control in this area could be achieved by developing integrated interventions targeting both malaria and malnutrition

Safety and Efficacy of Adding a Single Low Dose of Primaquine to the Treatment of Adult Patients With Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Senegal, to Reduce Gametocyte Carriage: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: More information is needed about the safety of low-dose primaquine in populations where G6PD deficiency is common. Methods: Adults with Plasmodium falciparum malaria were randomized to receive 1 of 3 artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) with or without primaquine (0.25 mg/kg). Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) status was determined using a rapid test. Patients were followed for 28 days to record hemoglobin concentration, adverse events, and gametocyte carriage. The primary end point was the change in Hb at day 7. Results: In sum, 274 patients were randomized, 139 received an ACT alone, and 135 received an ACT + primaquine. The mean reduction in Hb at day 7 was similar in each group, a difference in the ACT + PQ versus the ACT alone group of -0.04 g/dL (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.23, 0.31), but the effect of primaquine differed according to G6PD status. In G6PD-deficient patients the drop in Hb was 0.63 g/dL (95% CI 0.03, 1.24) greater in those who received primaquine than in those who received an ACT alone. In G6PD-normal patients, the reduction in Hb was 0.22 g/dL (95% CI -0.08, 0.52) less in those who received primaquine (interaction P = .01). One G6PD normal patient who received primaquine developed moderately severe anaemia (Hb < 8 g/dL). Dark urine was more frequent in patients who received primaquine. Primaquine was associated with a 73% (95% CI 24-90) reduction in gametocyte carriage (P = .013). Conclusion: Primaquine substantially reduced gametocyte carriage. However, the fall in Hb concentration at day 7 was greater in G6PD-deficient patients who received primaquine than in those who did not and one patient who received primaquine developed moderately severe anemia. Clinical Trial registration: PACTR201411000937373 (www.pactr.org)