Stepping-Stone or Sheltered Living? (original) (raw)

Maternal perception of cause, signs and severity of diarrhoea in a suburban West African community

Acta Paediatrica, 1996

Maternal perception ofcause. signs and severity of diarrhoea in a suburban West African community. Acta Pzdiatr 1996;85:1062 9. Stockholm. With the aim of investigating perceived morbidity and care seeking behaviour, a houschold survey was conducted. where 3 19 episodes of diarrhoea were followed by interviews every second day. Thc chance ofconsultation increased with the number of symptoms reported by the mother. The appearance ofthe eyes and how the child breastfed were early warnings that mothers recognized best. By contrast, there was a n 80% reduction in the likelihood of seeking consultation when the mother perceived the diarrhoea as caused by teeth eruption (n = 96). Children with "teething diarrhoea" were, however. just 21s likely to develop signs ofdehydration aschildren with non-teething diarrhoea. We conclude that health education concerning diarrhoea should emphasize early signs of dehydration and the discouragement of "teething" as a n explanation of natural diarrhoea. 0 Cuw .v(>c>liiiT,c. m s ( ' iiTtr/T(/~~c/Iic/zi. c~o i i c~~p i s of illncw, tliurulzoeu. Guineu-BissuLi, liiwltli c h c n i i o i i M S o d c~i i i u i i~i , Dqxirtn?eti t Epitleniiologj2 mid Sociul Mediciiic~ , Ciiiii Builditig ZC, DK-KO00 Aurliits c'. Deiitiiurk

Annals of African Medicine Annals of African Medicine @BULLET Pages 111-00

Background: Malaria in pregnancy remains a major public health problem especially in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the prevalence of clinical and asymptomatic infection among antenatal client (ANC) attendees is largely unknown, especially at primary health care (PHC) level in northern Nigeria. This study assessed the prevalence of fever, malarial parasitemia and anemia among pregnant women attending PHC facilities in Kano, northern Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 360 ANCs attending PHC facilities in two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano state. Data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Blood samples were also obtained for thin blood smear for malaria parasite using Giemsa staining technique. Hemoglobin was estimated from the Packed Cell Volume (PCV) determined using hematocrit. Results: Age of the subjects ranged from 15 to 42 years with a mean ± SD of 24.0 ± 6.0. Up to 39.2% (n = 141) (95% Confi dence Interval = 34.1-44.4%) of the subjects were found to have malarial parasitemia. Exactly 36.2% (n = 51) of those with parasitemia had fever (temperature ≥ 37.5oC) while 63.8% (n = 90) of them were asymptomatic. Anemia, (hemoglobin of ≤11 g/dl) was found in 48.1% (n = 173) of the respondents. A higher proportion of primigravid and secondigravid clients (61% vs. 39%) and younger pregnant women (54.6% vs. 45.4%) had malarial parasitemia compared to multigravid and older women, respectively. Similarly, a signifi cantly higher proportion (67.6%) of anemic ANC clients had malarial parasitemia. (χ2 = 113.25, df = 1, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Malarial infection is common among the ANC clients attending PHC facilities in Kano state and the infection is commonly associated with anemia. Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) should be provided especially among primigravid, secondigravid and younger mothers at PHC centres.

Intestinal lactase deficiency in an apparently normal Peruvian population

Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 1971

The prevalence of milk and lactose intolerance and intestinal lactase deficiency was studied in 30 apparently healthy Peruvian individuals. At the same time, 20 milk-intolerant persons were included in the study. According to the results of lactose-tolerance tests and intestinal lactase assays, one-third of the 30 were considered normal and were used as controls. The other two-thirds were found to be abnormal and were referred to asasymptomatics; they tolerated well small amounts of milk consumed daily. Upon lactose load, they developed gastro-intestinal symptoms, and maximal rise of blood glucose was below normal limits. Enzymatic assay indicated that they were deficient in intestinal lactase. The remaining 20 were intolerant to milk and the results of their tests were abnormal. Sucrase activity was similar in the 3 groups. This high incidence of lactase deficiency in apparently normal individuals seems to be acquired.

Anaemia, Morphological Classification and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Lactating Mothers at Mbarara City Council Health Centre IV, Southwestern Uganda

Journal of Blood Medicine

among 264 participants. A structured questionnaire was used to capture characteristics of study participants. 4 mL of venous blood was collected from each participant for complete blood count (CBC) and peripheral blood smear (PBS). CBC was done using hematology analyzer (BC-2800 Mindray Hematology Analyzer) while PBS were taken for participants with hemoglobin (Hb) <12.0g/dl and stained using Giemsa-Maygrunwald stain. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the associations between factors and anaemia. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The overall prevalence of anaemia was 65 (24.6%), with mean hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of 12.5g/dL. Out of the anaemic participants (24.6%), morphological classifications of anaemia were as follows: normocytic normochromic 27 (41.5%), microcytic hypochromic 20 (30.8%), normocytic hypochromic 16 (24.1%) and macrocytic normochromic 2 (3.1%). According to the severity of anaemia, majority had mild anaemia 52 (80%), moderate anaemia was 11 (16.9%), and severe anaemia was 2 (3.1%). The following risk factors were significantly associated with anaemia: duration of lactation (between 5 to 8 months, p-value 0.017, 95% CI (0.12-0.82) and alcohol consumption (p-value 0.032, 95% CI (1.12-12.16). The rest of the variables had no association with anaemia. Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia among lactating mothers is high and it is a moderate public health problem as defined by WHO. Nutrition promotion, and health education, may be the ideal way to reduce the prevalence of anaemia in this region.

Prevalence of Anaemia and Associated Factors in Lactating Mothers Accessing Health Services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi District

Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences

The study was done to determine the prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors in lactating mothers accessing health services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi district. A cross-sectional study design was used. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic, obstetric and other related anemia factors while blood samples were obtained for hemoglobin determination. Data obtained were entered into excel and exported to SPSS Version 25.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the factors associated with anaemia. The study results showed 11.7% prevalence of anaemia. Taking iron supplement during pregnancy was significantly associated with anaemia among lactating mothers. The prevalence of anaemia among lactating mothers accessing services at health services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi district was low (11.7%).Taking iron supplement during pregnancy was significantly associated with anaemia among lactating mothers....

HIV and nutrition: HIV and nutrition: pregnant and lactating women pregnant and lactating women

2000

This draft publication is a technical review commissioned by the World Health Organization for consideration by technical departments of WHO and at a "Consultation on Nutrition and HIV/AIDS in Africa: evidence, lessons and recommendations for action", Durban, South Africa meeting. The presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion or endorsement whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization. This information product is intended for a restricted audience only. It may not be reviewed, abstracted, quoted, reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated or adapted, in part or in whole, in any form or by any means. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the World Health Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. The World Health Organization does not warrant that the information contained in this publication is complete and correct and shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of its use.

Obstetric Care in Poor Settings in Ghana, India, and Kenya

Washington, DC: World …, 2007

Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Discussion Paper This series is produced by the Health, Nutrition, and Population Family (HNP) of the World Bank's Human Development Network. The papers in this series aim to provide a vehicle for publishing preliminary and unpolished results on HNP topics to encourage discussion and debate. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. Citation and the use of material presented in this series should take into account this provisional character. For free copies of papers in this series please contact the individual author(s) whose name appears on the paper. Enquiries about the series and submissions should be made directly to the Managing Editor, Nicole Klingen (Nklingen@worldbank.org). Submissions should have been previously reviewed and cleared by the sponsoring department, which will bear the cost of publication. No additional reviews will be undertaken after submission. The sponsoring department and author(s) bear full responsibility for the quality of the technical contents and presentation of material in the series.

Enormity of anaemia and its determinant factors among lactating mothers in Northern Ghana: A case of nanton district

BackgroundAnemia remains one of the most severe and common public health conditions that predominantly affects children and women across the globe. It is defined as a condition in which the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration is less than 11.0 g/dl particularly in women. The World health organization report indicated that 20–50% of the world population was affected by iron deficiency anemia.MethodAn institutional cross-sectional study design was the method used through the data collection and management. Information was sought from four selected health centres across the nanton district with systematic sampling deployed to select respondents of interest. A sample of 420 respondents were obtained and processed for analysis. A bi-variate and multivariate analysis uncovered the associated factors and its predictiveness.ResultsThe prevalence of anaemia in totality was 56.0% (95% CI 51.3%, 60.8%). The divergence of the blood concentration levels between the means of the anaemic and non anaemic...