American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 83, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 559-564

Nutritional status of children after a food-supplementation program integrated with routine health care through mobile clinics in migrant communities in the Dominican Republic (Article) (Open Access)

Parikh K.* , Marein-Efron G. , Huang S. , O'Hare G. , Finalle R. , Shah S.S.
  • a Pediatric Hospitalist Division, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
  • b Pediatrics Residency Program, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • c Division of GI, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • d Division of Global Health, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • e Division of Global Health, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • f Department of Global Health, Divisions of Infectious Disease and General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Departments of Pediatrics and Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare acute and chronic undernutrition rates before and after the introduction of a food-supplementation program as an adjunct to routine health care for children of migrant workers in the Dominican Republic. The cross-sectional study was conducted in five rural communities in the Dominican Republic. Children 18 years and younger were eligible if they received routine health care from local mobile clinics. Data were obtained before (2005) and after (2006) initiation of a food-supplementation program. χ 2 or Fisher exact tests were used for analysis. Among 175 children in 2005, 52% were female, and 59% were < 5 years of age (mean age = 5.3 years). Among 148 children in 2006, 48% were female, and 57% were < 5 years of age (mean age = 5.6 years). Acute undernutrition rates decreased from 40% to 23% ( P = 0.001) after initiation of the food-supplementation program. Rates of chronic undernutrition decreased from 33% to 18% after the initiation of the food-supplementation program ( P = 0.003). Food supplementation in the context of routine health-care visits improved the nutritional status of children, and it warrants further exploration as a way to reduce childhood undernutrition in resource-scarce areas. Copyright © 2010 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

rural area Rural Health Services Mobile Health Units human Food Supply acute disease chronic disease public relations Dominican Republic Cross-Sectional Studies catering service school child cross-sectional study Humans Adolescent male preschool child female Infant preventive health service Child, Preschool newborn population research Article organization and management health care major clinical study migration diet supplementation malnutrition diet therapy health center Transients and Migrants mobile clinic nutritional status Community-Institutional Relations rural health care Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77957042269&doi=10.4269%2fajtmh.2010.09-0485&partnerID=40&md5=f08ba99206af01061e2a55b593a3f8fa
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0485
ISSN: 00029637
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English