Abstract: Objective:To study child health status in Shareq Elneel Locality and its administrative units, Khartoum State, Sudan.

Methods: A two stages cluster sampling, cross-sectional study was conducted in Shareq Elneel Locality and it is eight administrative units in Khartoum State, Sudan, in 2008. Questionnaires were collected from the caretakers of 5858child under-5 years of age and anthropometric measurements were taken for children whose parents were consented.

Results:69.4% of under 5 years children received the third dose of Poliomyelitis vaccine (Polio3) in the locality, 66.5% of under 5 years children received DPT3 vaccination in the locality, 71.9% of under 5 years children received Measles vaccination in the locality and 91.4% of the children under- 5 years in the locality had immunization card. There was evidence of a significant association between children under -5 measles vaccination and women’s highest level of school attended (P-Value= 0.04). Nearly one third of the under 5 children were moderately underweight and 16.2% them were severely underweight, More than one fifth of under 5 years children were moderately wasted, and 12% of children under -5 years old were severely wasted, 44.6% of children under -5 years of age were moderately stunted with obviously high percentage in the rural administrative units. More than one quarter of the children under- 5 years old were severely stunted and overweight prevalence of children under-5 years old in the locality was 14.6%. Only 21.4% of the children aged less than 2 years in the locality were exclusively breastfed. 27.5% of children under -5 years of age in the locality had diarrhea in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey, highest percentage found in the rural administrative units.6.5% of children under 5 years of age in the locality had fever in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey and nearly one third of under 5 years children in the locality had cough in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey. 87.9% of children targeted by vitamin A supplementation in the locality ever receive vitamin A dose.

Conclusions: The study reveal pronounced variations among urban and rural administrative units in regard to many of the survey indicators. Immunization activities do not reach their target in almost all the times in the locality and there were other aspects of child health related to hygiene, poverty, malnutrition and health services like diarrhea, respiratory tract infections and malnutrition which need more consideration to be improved. Malnutrition prevalence was high. The rates of diarrhea and suspected pneumonia are somehow higher in the study area than previous studies figures. Reduce the pronounced variations among urban and rural administrative units in regard to Primary Health Care services and activities in order to improve many of the Child Health indicators in the rural areas. Use effective methods of health promotion and new attractive material of health education in the locality concerning the weak Child Health indicators.

Keywords: Under five children, Immunization, Exclusive breastfeeding, Malnutrition, Rural administrative Units.

Abstract: Anaemia in children under five years old is a public health concern worldwide. In developing countries about 12 million children under five years old die each year from preventable causes. The deaths of over 6 million are either directly or indirectly attributed to malnutrition, mainly under-nutrition that leads to anaemia and constitutes a high percentage of infant and child mortality. This descriptive survey attempted to assess the knowledge of mothers on factors associated with anaemia among children under five years old in the child welfare clinic at Orile-Agege General Hospital, Lagos. The 120 respondents were conveniently selected and data was collected through a close ended question items and analyzed with Pearson Product Moment Correlation.

The findings revealed that 111(92.5%) of the respondents agreed that one of the major causes of anaemia was malnutrition. Consequently, respondents agreed that children who suffer from anaemia are prone to infections, delayed psychomotor development, poor academic performance and low scores in intelligent (IQ) tests which deprived them the opportunity to be physically fit and function at optimal level. There was no significant relationship between occurrence of anaemia and mothers’ educational status (r = .29) as well as their socio economic status (r = .091). The religious belief of the respondents also had no bearing with the occurrence of anaemia (r =.152). It was therefore recommended that there is need for more public enlightenment on the causes, prevention and complications of anaemia. Capacity building for health care providers to adequately equip them with updates and facts on the management of prevailing rate of anaemia effectively.

Keywords: Anaemia, culture, malnutrition, morbidity, mortality.

Abstract: Background & Objectives:Bahrain is reported to rank amongst the top 10 countries for diabetes prevalence worldwide. In particular, growing numbers of children are being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The objective of this study was to describe the dietary intake of Bahraini children with T1DM as compared to a sample of healthy counterparts and to determine whether the nutrient intakes of Bahraini children with T1DM meet the current recommendations.

Design & Setting:This was a case-control study. Dietary intake, estimated using a24-hour dietary recall, for the cases was gathered from the Pediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Unit at the Salmaniya Medical Complex and compared to the 24-hour recalls of children without diabetes recruited from Local Health Centers.

Patients & Methods: 50 children aged 6-12 years receiving a confirmed diagnosis of T1DM in the years 2009 and 2010 compared with 55 healthy comparators.

Results:Children with T1DM consumed significantly more calories than controls (p<0.001) and significantly more protein relative to their RDA (p<0.029). Both groups failed to meet the RDA values for dietary fiber and for Vitamin D. Sodium intakes were in excess of RDA values although no significant difference was observed between groups (p=0.403).

Conclusion:The diets of both children with and without T1DM were found to contain excess protein and sodium and inadequate fiber, vitamin D and calcium. Children with T1DM also appeared to consume excess energy and fat. There is a need to endorse existing dietary guidelines for children with T1DM.

Keywords: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), Children, Bahrain, Healthy diet.

Abstract: Preterm babies are born with an immature intestine and are at higher risk for intestinal failure and needing for parenteral nutrition than full-term newborns. These babies show an altered intestinal microbiota, which may results of key importance for later health. However, there is a lack of information on effect of parenteral formulas upon the establishing infant microbiota. Moreover, the microbiota alterations present in preterm newborns have been related with an altered redox-potential which hinders the establishment of strict anaerobes. Thus, interventions aimed at reducing the oxidative stress in these infants, including those under parenteral nutrition, could also affect the intestinal microbiota composition. We assessed the effect upon the gut microbiota of the administration during 30 days of a lipid emulsion, containing ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and α-tocopherol, or a control emulsion containing soybean-bases lipids to parenterally-fed preterm newborns. In spite of its high antioxidant potential, the infants receiving the experimental fat emulsion showed a trend to increase of facultative anaerobes such as enterobacteria and specifically of Klebsiella. This study stresses the need of further work monitoring the impact of early-life parenteral nutrition on the establishment of the intestinal microbiota.

Keywords: Preterm infants, Parenteral nutrition, lipid emulsion, Antioxidants, Intestinal microbiota.

Abstract: Childhood undernutrition is a health crisis in the rapidly expanding informal settlements of low-income countries worldwide. Nearly half of Kenyan children in the Kibera settlement, in Nairobi, were reported to be stunted, indicating low height-for-age. Stunted children are at greater risk for poor cognitive and physical health outcomes in the long-term, problems that tend to be perpetuated in subsequent generations. Animal-source foods (ASF) supply a calorically dense source of micro- and macronutrients, and supplementation with ASF has been shown to improve linear growth and cognition. Correspondingly, increasing consumption of ASF by pregnant women and children has been proposed as a means to disrupt the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition caused by food insecurity. Household surveys indicate that consumption of ASF is low in urban slums, despite the availability of these foods in local markets. Here we review the studies addressing the role of ASF in the diets of the urban poor and identify knowledge gaps relevant to improving nutrition by increasing consumption of ASF. Based predominantly on studies in Kibera and greater Nairobi, these gaps include determining the minimal amount and frequency of dietary ASF to prevent stunting, defining how consumer preferences, markets, and income interact to impede or promote ASF consumption, and understanding the interaction between diet and both clinical and sub-clinical enteric disease on growth outcomes.

Keywords: Maternal health, Child malnutrition, Undernutrition, Food security, Informal urban settlements.