Altitude and early child growth in 47 countries

Shively, Gerald; Schmiess, Jacob

doi:10.1007/s11111-021-00390-w

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 85 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…11 It is crucial to emphasise that altitude is only one of several factors that contribute to stunting, and its influence varies depending on other contextual factors such as economic status, healthcare facilities, and dietary choices. 33 To alleviate stunting in high-altitude locations, a comprehensive approach is required, which includes increasing access to healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and education, as well as addressing the underlying socioeconomic determinants of health, 34 this study also confirm the findings shown in the different studies. Finally, encourage collaboration among government agencies, healthcare providers, non-governmental organisations, and community-based organisations in order to execute comprehensive and multi-sectoral stunting elimination strategies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Predicting stunting in Rwanda using artificial neural networks: a demographic health survey 2020 analysis

NDAGIJIMANA,

KABANO,

MASABO

et al. 2024

F1000Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Stunting is a serious public health concern in Rwanda, affecting around 33.3% of children under the age of five in 2020. Several examples of research have employed machine learning algorithms to predict stunting in Rwanda; however, no study used artificial neural networks (ANNs), despite their strong capacity to predict stunting. The purpose of this study was to predict stunting in Rwanda using ANNs and the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 2020. Methods We used a multilayer perceptron (MLP) architecture to train and test the ANN model on a subset of the DHS dataset. The input variables for the model included child, parental and socio-demographic’s characteristics. The output variable was a binary indicator of stunting status (stunted vs. not stunted). Results An overall accuracy of 72.0% on the test set was observed, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.84, indicating the model’s good performance. Several factors appear as important contributors to the probability of stunting among the negative value aspects. First and foremost, the mother’s height is important, as a lower height suggests an increased risk of stunting in children. Positive value characteristics, on the other hand, emphasie elements that reduce the likelihood of stunting. The timing of the initiation of breastfeeding stands out as a crucial factor, showing that early breastfeeding initiation has been linked with a decreased risk of stunting. Conclusions Our findings suggest that ANNs can be a useful tool for predicting stunting in Rwanda and identifying the most important associated factors for stunting. These insights can inform targeted interventions to reduce the burden of stunting in Rwanda and other low- and middle-income countries.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Predicting stunting in Rwanda using artificial neural networks: a demographic health survey 2020 analysis

NDAGIJIMANA,

KABANO,

MASABO

et al. 2024

F1000Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Children who live above 2000 masl. are shorter and lighter than their lowland counterparts (Baye & Hirvonen, 2020; Haas et al, 1982; Shively & Schmiess, 2021; Toselli et al, 2001), this configures a particular somatotype with a dominant mesomorphy and ectomorphy (Goon et al, 2013; Malik et al, 1986; Mateu, Valladares & Castillo, 2018; Pandey & Malik, 1990; Singh et al, 2007; Toselli et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatotype altitudinal variation and its relationship with the nutritional status of children in the Jujuy province, Argentina

Andrade,

Vilca,

Figueroa

et al. 2023

American J Hum Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesTo study the somatotype variations adjusted by altitude, age, sex, and BMI categories, and to assess the health status of the children population.MethodsA sample of 460 children aged 8–13 years was assessed in a cross‐sectional study conducted on anthropometric measurements between 2011 and 2015. Data were categorized into two age groups: Group 8–10, Group 11–13 and two altitudes: Highland (>2000 masl), lowland (<2000 masl). The somatotypic profile was determined by the Heath and Carter's study method and the Body Mass Index was used to assess children nutritional status. Generalized linear latent variable models (GLLVM) were performed to test the association between somatotype and geographic altitude. Individual age‐sex specific somatotypes were plotted in a two‐dimension somatochart, and group dispersion was displayed by the somatotype attitudinal mean.ResultsThe sample has an overall endomorph‐mesomorph body type, exhibiting different patterns when altitude and sex were considered. The GLLVM showed that the whole somatotype was different by altitude. Highland children occupied central to endomorphic‐mesomorphic places in the somatochart with lower variation. In both altitudes, girls exhibited higher endomorphy than boys. Several discrepancies between the BMI categorization and the somatotype were observed.ConclusionsJujenean children show differential body patterns across geographic altitude which exhibit age and sex variations. Children have a differential tendency to a fat mass gain. The BMI showed some inconsistencies with somatotype, leading to a misclassification of the child nutritional status, this highlights the importance of not to treat the BMI in isolation but with other determinants of the health status.

show abstract

“…Hypoxia is a drop in the normal level of tissue oxygen tension, and it is well-known that children permanently exposed to hypoxia at altitudes greater than 3,000 m above sea level (hereinafter referred to as "m") exhibit phenotypical adaptation and different growth patterns (1). Existing global and local data suggest that at 2,000 m, the adverse effect of altitude on child height growth would intensify (2), and Tibetan children residing above 3,500 m had a two-to-sixfold increased risk of stunting compared to those residing at 3,000 m (3). The adaptation of blood pressure regulation at high altitude is another consequence of hypoxia with major epidemiological significance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropometric indices, body function, and physical fitness reference values for Tibetan ethnic children aged 6–17 residing at 3,650 meters above sea level

Mao²,

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesIt is known that high altitude influences the growth metrics of high-altitude residents. Using a WHO-recommended standard, the research aimed to establish growth and development reference values for children of Tibetan ethnicity between the ages of 6 and 17 years old.MethodsThe measurements took place in Jomda County, Tibet with an average altitude of 3,650 m above sea level. A total of 3,955 observations (1,932 boys and 2,023 girls) were utilized to model the centile estimations. Included in the measurements are height, weight, body mass index, heart rate, blood pressure, forced lung capacity, sit and reach, and standing long jump. The measurements were modeled using the generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). Models were fitted with suitable distributions and locally smoothed using the P-spline for each GAMLSS hyper-parameter. Using the smallest Schwarz Bayesian criterion, the optimal model for each measurement was selected. After model adjustment, centile estimations were calculated for each model.ResultsCompared to the height reference values at the 50th percentile for multi-ethnic Chinese children residing at low altitudes, Tibetan ethnic children exhibit apparent stunted growth. In terms of forced vital capacity, it is remarkable that Tibetan ethnic children lag behind multi-ethnic Chinese children residing at low altitudes. Heart rate and blood pressure regulation are generally normal. Centile estimations are provided in this article and tabulated centiles (1p, 3p, 5p, 15p, 25p, 50p, 75p, 85p, 95p, 97p, 99p) in Chinese, Tibetic, and English are openly available in FigShare (doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.20898196.v1).ConclusionThis study established the first GAMLSS based growth and development reference values for Tibetan ethnic children aged 6–17. These reference values have numerous clinical and scientific applications. We offer Chinese policymakers with practical initiatives to further enhance the health of Tibetan ethnic children.

show abstract

Altitude and early child growth in 47 countries

Cited by 4 publications

References 85 publications

Predicting stunting in Rwanda using artificial neural networks: a demographic health survey 2020 analysis

Predicting stunting in Rwanda using artificial neural networks: a demographic health survey 2020 analysis

Somatotype altitudinal variation and its relationship with the nutritional status of children in the Jujuy province, Argentina

Anthropometric indices, body function, and physical fitness reference values for Tibetan ethnic children aged 6–17 residing at 3,650 meters above sea level

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About