Title
Relative undernourishment and food insecurity associations with Plasmodium falciparum among Batwa pygmies in Uganda: Evidence from a cross-sectional survey
Date Issued
01 January 2014
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Lewnard J.A.
Berrang-Ford L.
Lwasa S.
Namanya D.B.
Patterson K.A.
Donnelly B.
Kulkarni M.A.
Harper S.L.
Ogden N.H.
Ford J.D.
Edge V.L.
Publisher(s)
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
Although malnutrition and malaria co-occur among individuals and populations globally, effects of nutritional status on risk for parasitemia and clinical illness remain poorly understood. We investigated associations between Plasmodium falciparum infection, nutrition, and food security in a cross-sectional survey of 365 Batwa pygmies in Kanungu District, Uganda in January of 2013. We identified 4.1% parasite prevalence among individuals over 5 years old. Severe food insecurity was associated with increased risk for positive rapid immunochromatographic test outcome (adjusted relative risk [ARR] = 13.09; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 2.23-76.79). High age/sex-adjusted mid-upper arm circumference was associated with decreased risk for positive test among individuals who were not severely foodinsecure (ARR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.19-0.69). Within Batwa pygmy communities, where malnutrition and food insecurity are common, individuals who are particularly undernourished or severely food-insecure may have elevated risk for P. falciparum parasitemia. This finding may motivate integrated control of malaria and malnutrition in low-transmission settings. Copyright © 2014 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Start page
39
End page
49
Volume
91
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Nutrición, Dietética
ParasitologÃa
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84903906568
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN of the container
00029637
Sponsor(s)
Institutos Canadienses de Investigación en Salud
Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo
Consejo de Investigación de IngenierÃa y Ciencias Naturales de Canadá
Consejo de Investigación de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades de Canadá
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción CientÃfica
Scopus