Objectives Our specific aim was to characterize maternal knowledge of anemia and its relationship to maternal and child anemia and to behaviors related to anemia reduction. Methods We examined the relationship between maternal knowledge of anemia and anemia in the mother and the youngest child, aged 6–59 mo, in 7,913 families from urban slums and 37,874 families from rural areas of Indonesia. Knowledge of anemia was defined based upon the mother’s ability to correctly name at least one symptom of anemia and at least one treatment or strategy for reducing anemia. Hemoglobin was measured in both the mother and the child. Results In urban and rural areas, respectively, 35.8% and 36.9% of mothers had knowledge of anemia, 28.7% and 25.1% of mothers were anemic (hemoglobin <12 g/dL), and 62.3% and 54.0% of children were anemic (hemoglobin <11 g/dL). Maternal knowledge of anemia was associated with child anemia in urban and rural areas, respectively, (Odds Ratio [O.R.] 0.90, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] 0.79, 1.02, P = 0.10; O.R. 0.93, 95% C.I. 0.87, 0.98, P = 0.01) in multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for potential confounders. There was no significant association between maternal knowledge of anemia and maternal anemia. Maternal knowledge of anemia was significantly associated with iron supplementation during pregnancy and child consumption of fortified milk. There was no association of maternal knowledge of anemia with child deworming. Conclusions Maternal knowledge of anemia is associated with lower odds of anemia in children and with some health behaviors related to reducing anemia.

Sepsis, defined as an infection with dysregulated host response leading to life‐threatening organ dysfunction, continues to carry a high potential for morbidity and mortality in children. The recognition of sepsis in children in the emergency department (ED) can be challenging, related to the high prevalence of common febrile infections, poor specificity of discriminating features, and the capacity of children to compensate until advanced stages of shock. Sepsis outcomes are strongly dependent on the timeliness of recognition and treatment, which has led to the successful implementation of quality improvement programs, increasing the reliability of sepsis treatment in many US institutions. We review clinical, laboratory, and technical modalities that can be incorporated into ED practice to facilitate the recognition, treatment, and reassessment of children with suspected sepsis. The 2020 updated pediatric sepsis guidelines are reviewed and framed in the context of ED interventions, including guidelines for antibiotic administration, fluid resuscitation, and the use of vasoactive agents. Despite a large body of literature on pediatric sepsis epidemiology in recent years, the evidence base for treatment and management components remains limited, implying an urgent need for large trials in this field. In conclusion, although the burden and impact of pediatric sepsis remains substantial, progress in our understanding of the disease and its management have led to revised guidelines and the available data emphasizes the importance of local quality improvement programs.

Vitamin A deficiency continues to be an international public health problem with several important health consequences including blindness and overall increased rates of morbidity and mortality. To address this widespread issue, a series of strategies have been put into place from dietary diversification to supplementation and fortification programs. Retinyl palmitate has been used successfully for decades as a supplement as well as a way to fortify numerous foods, including vegetable oil, rice, monosodium glutamate, cereal flours and sugar. Recently, there has been rising interest in using a natural source of carotenoids, β-carotene from red palm oil (RPO), for fortification. Although RPO interventions have also been shown to effectively prevent Vitamin A deficiency, there are numerous challenges in using beta-carotene from RPO as a fortification technique. β-Carotene can induce significant changes in appearance and taste of the fortified product. Moreover, costs of fortifying with beta-carotene are higher than with retinyl palmitate. Therefore, RPO should only be used as a source of Vitamin A if it is produced and used in its crude form and regularly consumed without frying. Furthermore, refined RPO should be fortified with retinyl palmitate, not β-carotene, to ensure that there is adequate Vitamin A content.

Fortified milk, iodized salt, vitamin A supplementation and greater expenditure on plant and animal foods are among modifiable risk factors associated with lower risk of anemia clustering in Indonesia.