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Diarrheal diseases and growth retardation in preschool Guatemalan children
Insights
Diarrheal diseases significantly impede child growth, reducing length and weight. Approximately 10% of growth retardation in Guatemalan children is linked to these illnesses.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutrition
Background:
- Childhood diarrheal diseases are a major global health concern, particularly in developing regions.
- Growth faltering is a significant indicator of poor health and environmental conditions in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between diarrheal disease episodes and physical growth (length and weight) in rural Guatemalan children.
- To quantify the contribution of diarrheal diseases to overall growth retardation by age seven.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 716 rural Ladino Guatemalan children from birth to seven years.
- Mothers provided data on diarrheal disease frequency via 14-day interval surveys.
- Growth increments (length and weight) were analyzed against days ill with diarrhea within specific time intervals.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation was found between days ill with diarrhea and increments in both length and weight.
- Children experiencing diarrheal diseases exhibited reduced growth compared to a presumed healthier cohort.
- Diarrheal diseases were estimated to account for approximately 10% of the total growth retardation observed by age seven.
Conclusions:
- Diarrheal diseases are a significant environmental factor contributing to impaired physical growth in young children.
- Interventions to reduce diarrheal disease burden could substantially mitigate growth retardation in vulnerable populations.
- Understanding the specific impact of diseases like diarrhea is crucial for targeted public health strategies to improve child development.
Abstract:
The relationship between diarrheal diseases and growth increments in total body length and weight was investigated in 716 rural Ladino Gautemalan children. Data on diarrheal diseases were provided by the mothers through retrospective surveys carried out at 14-day intervals. Increments in length and weight, semestral from near birth at four years and yearly thence to seven, were related to days ill with diarrheal diseases during the same time interval. Because the data here reported were collected over a two year period, a child may have had information for more than one period. In total, 1,343 child periods were investigated. Days ill with diarrheal diseases were found to be significantly associated with reduced growth in length and weight. It was assumed that the average differences in growth by seven years of age between children in the present sample and children from well-to-do societies, are mainly a function of environmental differences and consequently, a measure of the extent of growth retardation. By expressing the growth retardation specifically associated with diarrheal diseases as a fraction of the above differences it was then estimated that around 10% of this growth retardation was associated with diarrheal diseases.