International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition

Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Morocco: A Systematic Review

Mohamed El Mossaoui — 2024-08-19

Introduction: Childhood overweight and obesity have become pervasive forms of malnutrition affecting Moroccan children, exerting significant impacts on their physical growth and psychological development.

Objective: This study aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiological landscape surrounding childhood overweight and obesity in Morocco. Additionally, it seeks to evaluate the efficacy of national strategies and nutrition programs implemented by the Moroccan Ministry of Health.

Methods: This study gathered data from reputable sources, employing a systematic review approach, including Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The selected articles focused on overweight and obesity within the Moroccan population, with the search period spanning from 2010 to 2020.

Results: The study unveiled many factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity. Intriguingly, overweight is not always synonymous with childhood obesity, though it remains a critical contributing factor.

Conclusion: Childhood overweight and obesity in Morocco show severe forms of malnutrition, eliciting significant concerns within the Moroccan academic community. An urgent imperative is to enhance existing strategic plans to address this issue effectively.

Prevalence and Regional Factors in the Development and Course of Allergic Diseases in Children in Southern Kyrgyzstan

Maksudakan Jumanalieva — 2024-08-19

Background: The prevalence of allergic diseases in children worldwide has increased rapidly over the past 30 years. This study aimed to identify regional factors influencing the development and course of allergic diseases for further prevention, control, and reduction of the risk and frequency of complications.

Methods: To investigate the issue, 104 studies by different authors and countries, as well as topics related to allergy in children, air pollution, and regional factors of detection and prevalence of this disease in Kyrgyzstan, were selected. Of these, 52 studies were noted and analysed, which met the selection criteria and were of direct importance in this topic.

Results: This study of allergic diseases in children found that more than 35% of children worldwide suffer from allergic diseases. Of these, allergic rhinitis occurs in 12% of children, atopic dermatitis is less common, but its incidence is 10-20%, and bronchial asthma, according to statistics, covers more than 14% of children.

Conclusion: The results of the study helped to investigate the prevalence of allergic diseases relative to the region of residence, the impact of environmental pollution, geographical significance, and the effect of smoking on the development of allergies in children.

The Third Epidemic of Blindness: Early ROP Screening vs. KIDROP Conventional Screening of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Neonates- A Prospective Cohort Study

Vijayakumar Biradar — 2024-08-19

Aim: To assess the benefits of initiating early Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) screening compared to conventional KIDROP screening and study the incidence, severity, and risk factors of ROP.

Methods: Preterm neonates born with weight < 2000 g and/or < 36 weeks of gestation admitted to the Level III-A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), BLDE (Deemed to be University), Shri B. M. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, were enrolled in the study. The in-house retina specialist performed Early ROP screening at 10-14 days of life, depending on the gestational age at birth. Subsequently, KIDROP conventional screening was done at 3 to 6 weeks of life by the Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis for Retinopathy of Prematurity (KIDROP) team once weekly. ROP findings were recorded as per the standard ICROP norms. The data was analyzed for gestational age, birth weight, and systemic factors predisposing to ROP.

Results: The incidence of Early ROP was 14% (7/50). Of the neonates diagnosed with ROP, 43% had a gestational age of < 30 weeks, and 86% had birth weight in the group 1000- 1500 g. The incidence of type 1 ROP is 28.5% (2/7). The significant predictors of the increased risk of ROP were birth weight, gestational age, prolonged oxygen therapy, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV), sepsis, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and nutrition, including MOM & Parenteral Nutrition.

Conclusion: Early enrolment of neonates for ROP screening in the NICU itself ensures early diagnosis and timely intervention and also ensures compliance and routine follow-up of these neonates. 14% had early ROP, which suggests the need to redefine the ROP screening criteria.

Effectiveness of Information and Communication Programmes for Children with Special Educational Needs in the Context of Speech Development

Oksana Chekan — 2024-08-19

The work aims to determine the effectiveness of information and communication programs for special educational needs (SENs) in the context of speech development. The aim was achieved through the use of general theoretical methods of analysis, observations, and calculations of the ranking factor, efficiency coefficient, and Phillips correlation coefficient. It was established that the most effective approaches for the development of children's speech are the use of information technologies (2.5), social interaction (2.37), and group approach (2.25).

Results: The results provided grounds for developing a speech and general development program for children aged 4 to 7. The program provided for the creation of mind maps, provision of joint reading, performance of educational songs, and development of speech in accordance with the specified topic. Training became possible due to the use of modern technologies, namely the applications MindMeister, Digital Inclusion, and speech synthesis from Google and YouTube. It was established that the developed program had a positive effect on the improvement of children’s phonetic speech compared to the results at the beginning of the study.

Conclusions: The practical significance of the work implies the possibility of using the developed program for speech correction among a larger number of children.

Prospects: Research prospects are related to elaborating speech development mechanisms depending on the degree of speech impairment.

Cord Blood Serum Zinc Levels and the Intrauterine Growth Status in Preterm Neonates

Annisa Trie Anna — 2024-08-22

Background: The risk of death is higher if the SGA baby is accompanied by prematurity. Intrauterine growth is considered to have an important role in the occurrence of premature birth and SGA, so many recent studies are trying to find that can support intrauterine growth, one of which is research on the role of the micronutrient zinc, which is a trace element that the body cannot produce. Zinc is an essential micronutrient for organ development and growth. Zinc plays a role in DNA synthesis and the signaling pathway of the IGF-1 receptor. Umbilical cord blood serum zinc levels can reflect intrauterine zinc status, indicating maternal zinc supply to the fetus.

Objectives: To assess the relationship between cord blood serum zinc levels and intrauterine growth status in pretermneonates.

Methods: This research is an observational study with a cross-sectional approach. The sample for this study was 85 pretermneonates, consisting of 53 neonates with AGA (appropriate for gestational age) and 32 neonates with SGA (small for gestational age). A cord blood sample was collected immediately after birth, and zinc levels were determined by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer method.

Results: The median serum zinc levels of the SGA and AGA groups were 41.87 µg/dl (20.43 - 56.04 µg/dl) and 52.12 µg/dl (35.54 - 62.46 µg/dl), respectively, and the difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion: There was a relationship between cord blood serum zinc levels and the intrauterine growth status of pretermneonates.

Prevalence of Dehydration in Egyptian Primary School Children and its Impact on their Cognitive Performance

Wafaa Ibrahim Mohamed Salah Abugabal — 2024-09-04

Background: The majority of children globally, over 75%, do not meet the water intake recommendations set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). More than 80% of children in Europe drink less water than the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines suggest. Hydration has been linked to cognitive performance in school-aged children living in hot climates, affecting visual attention, memory span, semantic flexibility, and arithmetic skills. This study aimed to assess the hydration status of Egyptian primary school children and its relation to cognitive function.

Results: The study included 200 children aged 9-13 years from various schools in Cairo. A questionnaire and a "fluids and liquid food" diary were used to collect data on beverage consumption. Hydration status was determined using a self-reported urine color scale. Only 54 children (27%) had adequate knowledge of proper water intake, while 146 children (73%) did not. According to EFSA guidelines, 166 children (83%) reported low water intake, and 34 children (17%) had adequate intake. Dehydration was found in 118 children (59%), with 34 children (17%) severely dehydrated. There was a significant positive correlation between total fluid intake and cognitive functions, including visual attention, memory, search, and visuomotor performance (p<0.001). International school students had higher water intake during school hours and overall daily intake than students from local public schools. The most consumed fluids after water were sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices.

Conclusions: The study highlights a significant gap in knowledge and practice regarding adequate water intake among Egyptian primary school children. A considerable number of children (83%) consumed inadequate daily fluid intake, with only 17% meeting EFSA guidelines. A significant negative correlation between total fluid intake and urine color indicates hydration status. The positive correlation between hydration and cognitive function underscores the importance of promoting proper hydration to enhance cognitive performance. Educational interventions are needed to improve water intake habits among children.

Vascular Access Related Infections in Hemodialysis Children and the Impact of Implementation of CDC Guidelines and Tools on the Control of these Infections: A Single Centre Experience from Egypt

Sawsan S. El Moselhy — 2024-09-09

Background: Vascular access-related infection (VARI) is a serious issue in pediatric end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients on regular hemodialysis.

Objective: To estimate the frequency of vascular access-related infections in hemodialysis (HD) children and to assess the effect of the implementation of CDC guidelines and tools on the prevention of VARI.

Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 110 patients with ESKD on regular hemodialysis at the Pediatric Dialysis Unit, Ain Shams University, from August 2019 to September 2021, retrospectively for one year and prospectively for another year after implementing the CDC infection control procedures.

Besides full history taking, vascular access history, and thorough clinical examination, lab investigations for VARI diagnosis and echocardiography were performed. CDC infection control procedures were implemented for one year, and VARI was re-evaluated.

Results: The total number of patients enrolled in the study was 110, they were 58 males (52.7%) and 52 females (47.3%). The incidence of infection per 1000 vascular access days in both years was highest in patients with NTVCs (10.447 /1000 NTVC days, 6.861 /1000 NTVCs days), followed by patients with TVCs (1.051/1000 TVC days, 0.604 /1000 TVC days) then patients with AVF, (0.141/1000 AVF days, 0.046 /1000 AVF days). The mortality from vascular access-related infections in the first year was higher than in the second year, with 5 patients (10.2%) and 1 patient (3.8%), respectively.

The average duration of hospital stays (PPY) due to VARI (total admission days 8.09 and ward admission days 6.41) in the first year were significantly higher than in the second year, 4.04, 3.20 days/PPY, respectively.

Conclusion: The incidence of vascular access infection (VAI) is higher with non-tunneled catheters and lowest with Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF). To reduce the risk of VARI and hospitalization, proper infection control procedures must be implemented.

Prevalence of Congenital Heart Defects and their Non-Inherited Risk Factors among Children through the Period 2019-2023: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Maryam Eid Abd Ali — 2024-09-24

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common types of congenital disabilities. The frequency of CHD among their patient populations also remains the leading cause of their increased mortality, accounting for an estimated 50% of all causes of death from abnormalities.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify the prevalence of non-inherited risk factors among children with cardiac defects and compare the prevalence of congenital heart defects among children in different governorates in Iraq related to non-inherited risk factors.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective study design was used to study congenital heart defects in children in Babylon Centre for Catheterization and Cardiac Surgery in Al-Imam Sadiq Hospital Babylon province, Iraq, from 15/10/2023 to 13/6/2024. A nonprobability convenience sample of 542 patients aged 0-18 years with CHD was collected by administering a constructed tool for the study. The data were collected from all Iraqi governorates, including the north, center, and south, as well as east and west countries.

Result: The study shows the mean age of children was 2.2 ±9.2 years. The majority of children included were within infant age groups, almost equal in their sexes, giving girl to boy, 1.04:1. The age at screening and diagnosis of Echo was more than half in the first month, and the type of defect was Ventricular-septal-defect (VSD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). The study findings show that there is a statistically significant relationship between risk factors related to maternal medication history, including Folic acid Supplements. Maternal diseases such as Rubella, with CHD, and the highest recorded governorates for congenital heart defects are Baghdad, Mosul, and Diyala.

Conclusions: The study concludes that most children included were within infant age groups, almost equal in their sexes, and the highest recorded governorates for congenital heart defects are Baghdad, Mosul, and Diyala. Also, the most frequent CHD is VSD and TOF, the history of maternal medication use, including folic acid supplements, and maternal diseases such as Rubella were significant factors in assessing the risk or outcome.