Growth in children from the Wosera subdistrict, Papua New Guinea, in relation to energy and protein intakes and zinc status

Article Abstract:

Children living in Papua, New Guinea were shown to have slow rates of growth due to genetic and environmental factors, including climate, diet, and disease prevalence. Energy and protein deficiency were the most common nutritional factors associated with slow growth rates of Papua New Guinea children. Protein deficiency is often associated with zinc deficiency, which may also contribute to slowed growth rates. Studies have shown that children of Papua New Guinea have: low zinc intakes; poor absorption of zinc due to consumption of foods that inhibit dietary zinc absorption; increased loss of zinc through perspiration and shedding of skin in the hot climate; and rupture of red blood cells due to malarial infection. The height, weight, hematocrit, hemoglobin, zinc content of the hair, and incidence of malarial infection were assessed in 123 children ranging in age from 2 to 10 years who were from the Wosera subdistrict of Papua New Guinea. Sixty-seven of the children ranging in age from 6 to 10 years were also assessed for dietary intake. Energy, protein, and zinc intakes were deficient in 52, 73, and 76 percent of these children, respectively. Twenty-nine percent of children were stunted in growth, whereas 16 percent were mildly wasted (underweight). Stunted growth and abnormally low zinc content of the hair were more prevalent among males than females. Growth, as indicated by the height-for-age scores, was associated with age, sex, hemoglobin, and hair zinc content. These findings suggest that stunted growth in Wosera children resulted from energy and protein deficiency and was worsened in older male children by zinc deficiency. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Social aspects, Growth disorders, Malnutrition in children, Child malnutrition, Papua New Guinea, Protein deficiency

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Infancy: mental and motor development

Article Abstract:

Previous research has linked iron deficiency (ID) and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) to low scores on mental and motor tests in children. IDA is a more severe form of ID, as determined by blood tests. ID can progress to IDA if iron from the diet continues to be inadequate over time. In both ID and IDA, the hemoglobin in red blood cells is reduced and, as a result, the red blood cells cannot carry adequate amounts of oxygen to body tissues. This study evaluated the relationship of iron status to mental and motor development of infants. A group of 196 infants from birth to 15 months of age were studied. Some were classified as having ID, others had IDA, and the remainder were normal controls. Examples of the mental and motor tasks tested in older infants, 12 to 15 months, are described. Mental test items included 'says two words with meaning', 'jabbers expressively', and 'shows own toys and clothing'. Motor tasks included 'walks with help', 'stands alone', and 'sits from standing'. Results showed that children with IDA scored lower than those with ID and the control group; the latter two groups received equivalent scores. Iron supplementation therapy, using ferrous sulfate for either 10 days or three months, did not yield improved test scores. The authors concluded that if iron deficiency progresses to anemia, adverse effects on mental and motor skills persist despite supplementation with ferrous sulfate. Neither short-term nor long-term iron therapy increased the developmental test scores of the anemic children.

Evaluation, Complications and side effects, Pediatric diseases, Food and nutrition, Infants, Iron in the body, Iron (Nutrient), Infant development, Iron compounds, Cognition in children, Cognitive development, Iron deficiency anemia, Ferrous sulfate, Iron deficiency anemia in children, Motor ability in children

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