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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Malaria and nutritional status in children living on the coast of Kenya
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 80, No. 6, Year 2004
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Description
Background: The relation between malnutrition and malaria is controversial. On the one hand, malaria may cause malnutrition, whereas on the other hand, malnutrition itself may modulate susceptibility to the disease. Objective: The objective was to investigate the association between Plasmodium falciparum malaria and malnutrition in a cohort of Kenyan children. Design: The study involved the longitudinal follow-up of children aged 28-60 mo for clinical malaria episodes and anthropometric measurements through 4 cross-sectional surveys. We used Poisson regression analysis to investigate the association between malaria and nutritional status. Results: The crude incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for malaria during the 6-mo period before assessment in children defined as malnourished on the basis of low height-for-age or low weight-for-age z scores (<-2) were 1.17 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.50; P = 0.21) and 0.94 (0.71, 1.25; P = 0.67), respectively, which suggests no association between malaria and the subsequent development of protein-energy malnutrition. However, we found that age acted as an effect modifier in the association between malaria episodes and malnutrition on prospective follow-up. The IRR for malaria in children aged 0-2 y, who were subsequently characterized as underweight, was 1.65 (1.10, 2.20; P = 0.01), and a significant overall relation between malaria and stunting was found on regression analysis after adjustment for the interaction with age (IRR: 1.91; 1.01, 3.58; P = 0.04). Conclusion: Although children living on the coast of Kenya continue to experience clinical episodes of uncomplicated malaria throughout the first decade of life, the effect of malaria on nutritional status appears to be greatest during the first 2 y of life. © 2004 American Society for Clinical Nutrition.
Authors & Co-Authors
Nyakeriga, Alice M.
Kenya, Nairobi
Wellcome Trust Research Laboratories Nairobi
Sweden, Stockholm
Institutionen För Molekylär Biovetenskap, Wenner-grens Institut
Kenya, Eldoret
Moi University
Troye-Blomberg, Marita
Sweden, Stockholm
Institutionen För Molekylär Biovetenskap, Wenner-grens Institut
Chemtai, Alex K.
Kenya, Eldoret
Moi University
Marsh, Kevin
Kenya, Nairobi
Wellcome Trust Research Laboratories Nairobi
Williams, Thomas Neil
Kenya, Nairobi
Wellcome Trust Research Laboratories Nairobi
Statistics
Citations: 146
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/ajcn/80.6.1604
ISSN:
00029165
Research Areas
Food Security
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Kenya