Effect of germination of finger millet on nutritional value of foods and effect of food supplement on nutrition and anaemia status in Tanzania children

No Abstract.Tanzania Health Research Bulletin Vol. 9(2) 2007: pp.77-8

Impact of dietary iron intake on anaemia in Tanzanian schoolchildren

Objective. To investigate the nutritional relationship between dietary intake and prevalence of anaemia among Tanzanian schoolchildren. Methods. Dietary intakes of 101 schoolchildren aged 7 - 12 years were assessed using a pre-tested food frequency questionnaire. Haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit, erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) and serum ferritin (SF) were used to determine their anaemia and iron status. Other socio-economic variables were collected using a profile questionnaire. Results. Significantly lower intake of iron was seen in 48% of schoolchildren with Hb 0.05). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, daily iron intake remained the most significant nutrient predicting for Hb status. There was a significant correlation between iron intake and serum ferritin (r = 0.233, p < 0.05). Conclusion. Iron intake in this Tanzanian community is inadequate for maintaining normal iron nutrition. The factors contributing to the inadequacy include consumption of foods with low iron bioavailability. Food-based intervention should be one of the important strategies for reducing the magnitude of the problem of anaemia in this community. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol.17(3) 2004: 94-10

Effect of micronutrient fortified beverage on nutritional anaemia during pregnancy

(East African Medical Journal: 2002 79 (11): 598-603

Obraz Boga u młodzieży wyznania katolickiego

Image of God in young catholicsThe aim of the cognitive-developmental study has been to determine features of the image of God and indications of the relationship with God formed by adolescents. The definition of the image of God adopted in this paper has three aspects: (1) knowledge about God, (2) emotional experiences of God, and (3) behavioral tendencies towards God. It should be noted that the image of God is formed by imagination to a considerable degree, as we shape our mental representation of God on the basis of imagination. In the study, 114 adolescent Catholics were tested with the projection drawing “My God and I”. The position, shape, size, colors and the way of drawing the figure or symbol of God belong to the formal part of the analysis, while the meanings ascribed to the figure or symbol of God, i.e. the semantics of the representation, constitute the aspect of content. The results of the study have helped to isolate the dimensions of form and content in the image of God and to present their different categorizations

Randomized Efficacy Trial of a Micronutrient-Fortified Beverage in Primary School Children in Tanzania.

Dietary supplements providing physiologic amounts of several micronutrients simultaneously have not been thoroughly tested for combating micronutrient deficiencies. We determined whether a beverage fortified with 10 micronutrients at physiologic doses influenced the iron and vitamin A status and growth of rural children (aged 6-11 y) attending primary schools. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy trial, children were assigned to receive the fortified beverage or an unfortified beverage at school for 6 mo. There were nonsignificant differences at baseline between children in the fortified and nonfortified groups in iron status, serum retinol, and anthropometry. At the 6-mo follow-up, among children with anemia (hemoglobin < 110 g/L), there was a significantly larger increase in hemoglobin concentration in the fortified group than in the nonfortified group (9.2 and 0.2 g/L, respectively). Of those who were anemic at baseline, 69.4% in the nonfortified group and 55.1% in the fortified group remained anemic at follow-up (RR: 0.79), a cure rate of 21%. The prevalence of children with low serum retinol concentrations (< 200 microg/L) dropped significantly from 21.4% to 11.3% in the fortified group compared with a nonsignificant change (20.6% to 19.7%) in the nonfortified group. At follow-up, mean incremental changes in weight (1.79 compared with 1.24 kg), height (3.2 compared with 2.6 cm), and BMI (0.88 compared with 0.53) were significantly higher in the fortified group than in the nonfortified group. The fortified beverage significantly improved hematologic and anthropometric measurements and significantly lowered the overall prevalence of anemia and vitamin A deficiency

QuantiFERON®-TB gold in-tube performance for diagnosing active tuberculosis in children and adults in a high burden setting.

To determine whether QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) can contribute to the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in children in a high-burden setting and to assess the performance of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) in a prospective cohort of TB suspect children compared to adults with confirmed TB in Tanzania. Sensitivity and specificity of QFT and TST for diagnosing active TB as well as indeterminate QFT rates and IFN-γ levels were assessed in 211 TB suspect children in a Tanzanian district hospital and contrasted in 90 adults with confirmed pulmonary TB. Sensitivity of QFT and TST in children with confirmed TB was 19% (5/27) and 6% (2/31) respectively. In adults sensitivity of QFT and TST was 84% (73/87) and 85% (63/74). The QFT indeterminate rate in children and adults was 27% and 3%. Median levels of IFN-γ were lower in children than adults, particularly children <2 years and HIV infected. An indeterminate result was associated with age <2 years but not malnutrition or HIV status. Overall childhood mortality was 19% and associated with an indeterminate QFT result at baseline. QFT and TST showed poor performance and a surprisingly low sensitivity in children. In contrast the performance in Tanzanian adults was good and comparable to performance in high-income countries. Indeterminate results in children were associated with young age and increased mortality. Neither test can be recommended for diagnosing active TB in children with immature or impaired immunity in a high-burden setting

Feeding Practices and Factors Contributing to Wasting, Stunting, and Iron-deficiency Anaemia Among 3-23-month Old Children in Kilosa District, Rural Tanzania

Infants in Tanzania are particularly vulnerable to under-nutrition during transition from breastmilk (as the only source of nourishment) to solid foods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in Kilosa district in Tanzania to determine the feeding practices and the extent of wasting, stunting, and iron-deficiency anaemia. The study was done in two stages: in the first stage, a 24-hour dietary assessment was conducted to identify the type of complementary foods given and the eating habits according to age for 378 children aged 3-23 months. In the second stage, a progressive recruitment of 309 infants aged six months was made to measure weight, length, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, zinc protoporphyrin concentration, and malaria parasitaemia. Birth-weight, the potential contributing factor to under-nutrition and iron-deficiency anaemia, was obtained from the children's clinic cards. The 24-hour dietary assessment revealed that children consumed mainly a thin porridge prepared from maize flour as complementary food. Carbohydrates contributed most energy (on average 69%), followed by fats (18.6%) and protein (on average 12.1%). The complementary food covered only 15%, 20%, and 27% of the recommended iron intake for children aged 6-8, 9-11 and 12-23 months respectively. The mean Hb concentration was 9.3\ub11.9 g/dL, 68% of the infants were moderately anaemic(7-&lt;11 g/dL), and about 11% were severely anaemic with Hb below 7 g/dL, while 21% were non-anaemic Hb ( 6511 g/dL). Equally, the mean zinc protoporphyrin concentration was 10.0\ub16.2 \u3bcg/g Hb, and 76% of the infants were iron-deficient(&gt;5 \u3bcg/g Hb). The prevalence of stunting was 35%, while wasting was only 1.3%. Low birth-weight and low body mass index of mothers were the strong predictors of stunting, whereas low birth-weight and iron-deficiency were the strong predictors of anaemia. The prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was high, affecting 50% of the infants. Having malaria was the only independent predictor associated with stunting, anaemia, and iron-deficiency. There is an urgent need to improve traditional complementary foods in the studied community in terms of energy density, amount of fat in the diet, and bioavailability of macro and micronutrients

Anaemia in schoolchildren in eight countries in Africa and Asia

Objective: To report on the haemoglobin concentrations and prevalence of anaemia in schoolchildren in eight countries in Africa and Asia. Design: Blood samples were collected during surveys of the health of schoolchildren as a part of programmes to develop school-based health services. Setting: Rural schools in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania and Vietnam. Subjects: Nearly 14 000 children enrolled in basic education in three age ranges (7-11 years, 12-14 years and >/= 15 years) which reflect the new UNICEF/WHO thresholds to define anaemia. Results: Anaemia was found to be a severe public health problem (defined as >40% anaemic) in five African countries for children aged 7-11 years and in four of the same countries for children aged 12-14 years. Anaemia was not a public health problem in the children studied in the two Asian countries. More boys than girls were anaemic, and children who enrolled late in school were more likely to be anaemic than children who enrolled closer to the correct age. The implications of the four new thresholds defining anaemia for school-age children are examined. Conclusions: Anaemia is a significant problem in schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa. School-based health services which provide treatments for simple conditions that cause blood loss, such as worms, followed by multiple micronutrient supplements including iron, have the potential to provide relief from a large burden of anaemia

Demographic and spatial predictors of anemia in women of reproductive age in Timor-Leste: Implications for health program prioritization

10.1371/journal.pone.0091252PLoS ONE93-POLN