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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Nutritional status and HIV in rural South African children
BMC Pediatrics, Volume 11, Article 23, Year 2011
Notification
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Description
Background: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals that aim to reduce malnutrition and child mortality depends in part on the ability of governments/policymakers to address nutritional status of children in general and those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in particular. This study describes HIV prevalence in children, patterns of malnutrition by HIV status and determinants of nutritional status.Methods: The study involved 671 children aged 12-59 months living in the Agincourt sub-district, rural South Africa in 2007. Anthropometric measurements were taken and HIV testing with disclosure was done using two rapid tests. Z-scores were generated using WHO 2006 standards as indicators of nutritional status. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to establish the determinants of child nutritonal status.Results: Prevalence of malnutrition, particularly stunting (18%), was high in the overall sample of children. HIV prevalence in this age group was 4.4% (95% CI: 2.79 to 5.97). HIV positive children had significantly poorer nutritional outcomes than their HIV negative counterparts. Besides HIV status, other significant determinants of nutritional outcomes included age of the child, birth weight, maternal age, age of household head, and area of residence.Conclusions: This study documents poor nutritional status among children aged 12-59 months in rural South Africa. HIV is an independent modifiable risk factor for poor nutritional outcomes and makes a significant contribution to nutritional outcomes at the individual level. Early paediatric HIV testing of exposed or at risk children, followed by appropriate health care for infected children, may improve their nutritional status and survival. © 2011 Kimani-Murage et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Kimani-Murage, Elizabeth Wambui
South Africa, Johannesburg
Wits School of Public Health
Kenya, Nairobi
African Population and Health Research Centre
Norris, Shane A.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand Faculty of Health Sciences
Pettifor, John M.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand Faculty of Health Sciences
Tollman, Stephen Meir
South Africa, Johannesburg
Wits School of Public Health
Sweden, Umea
Umeå Universitet
Ghana, Accra
Indepth Network
Klipstein-Grobusch, Kerstin
South Africa, Johannesburg
Wits School of Public Health
Gómez-Olivé, Francesc Xavier
South Africa, Johannesburg
Wits School of Public Health
Dunger, D. B.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Kahn, Kathleen
South Africa, Johannesburg
Wits School of Public Health
Sweden, Umea
Umeå Universitet
Ghana, Accra
Indepth Network
Statistics
Citations: 69
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 6
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1186/1471-2431-11-23
e-ISSN:
14712431
Research Areas
Food Security
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
South Africa