Title
Diarrhea in early childhood: Short-Term association with weight and long-Term association with length
Date Issued
01 October 2013
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Richard S.A.
Black R.E.
Guerrant R.L.
Kang G.
Mølbak K.
Rasmussen Z.A.
Sack R.B.
Valentiner-Branth P.
Checkley W.
Publisher(s)
Oxford University Press
Abstract
The short-Term association between diarrhea and weight is well-accepted, but the long-Term association between diarrhea and growth is less clear. Using data from 7 cohort studies (Peru, 1985-1987; Peru, 1989-1991; Peru, 1995-1998; Brazil, 1989-1998; Guinea-Bissau, 1987-1990; Guinea-Bissau, 1996-1997; and Bangladesh, 1993-1996), we evaluated the lagged relationship between diarrhea and growth in the first 2 years of life. Our analysis included 1,007 children with 597,638 child-days of diarrhea surveillance and 15,629 anthropometric measurements. We calculated the associations between varying diarrhea burdens during lagged 30-day periods and length at 24 months of age. The cumulative association between the average diarrhea burden and length at age 24 months was -0.38 cm (95% confidence interval: -0.59, -0.17). Diarrhea during the 30 days prior to anthropometric measurement was consistently associated with lower weight at most ages, but there was little indication of a short-Term association with length. Diarrhea was associated with a small but measurable decrease in linear growth over the long term. These findings support a focus on prevention of diarrhea as part of an overall public health strategy for improving child health and nutrition; however, more research is needed to explore catch-up growth and potential confounders. © 2013 © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Start page
1129
End page
1138
Volume
178
Issue
7
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología Nutrición, Dietética
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84884958488
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Epidemiology
ISSN of the container
14766256
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus