Factors associated with physical growth of children during the first two years of life in rural and urban areas of Vietnam

Abstract

BackgroundDifferences between urban and rural settings can be seen as a very important example of gaps between groups in a population. The aim of this paper is to compare an urban and a rural area regarding child growth during the first two years of life as related to mother’s use of antenatal care (ANC), breastfeeding and reported symptoms of illness.MethodsThe studies were conducted in two Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites, one rural and one urban in Hanoi, Vietnam.ResultsWe found that children in the urban area grow faster than those in the rural area. There were statistical associations between growth and the education of the mother as well as household resources. There were positive correlations between the number of ANC visits and child growth. We also saw a positive association between growth and early initiation (first hour of life) of breastfeeding but the reported duration of exclusive breastfeeding was not statistically significantly related to growth. Reporting symptoms of illness was negatively correlated to growth, i.e. morbidity is hampering growth.ConclusionsAll predictors of growth discussed in this article, ANC, breastfeeding and illness, are associated with social and economic conditions. To improve and maintain good conditions for child growth it is important to strengthen education of mothers and household resources particularly in the rural areas. Globalization and urbanization means obvious risks for increasing gaps not least between urban and rural areas. Improvement of the quality of programs for antenatal care, breastfeeding and integrated management of childhood illness are also needed in Vietnam.

The role of mother’s education in the nutritional status of children in Serbia

“…Low level of household wealth is also a background characteristic contributing to the prevalence of undernourished children (13,(15)(16)(17)(18) . While low household income has a negative effect on children's nutritional status, education acts as a protective factor following the pattern that children whose mothers have higher or high education are more likely to be well-nourished Some studies have confirmed that mother's education is one of the main determinants of undernutrition (12)(13)(14) . Also, it has been shown that children whose mother was more educated were more likely to consume the optimal amounts of protein, Ca and vitamins necessary for their proper physical and psychological growth (19) .…”

“…To date, different studies have shown that various indicators of socio-economic status are associated with children's nutritional status, such as educational level of parents, parental income and family assets (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) . Poverty, which is very typical for low-and middle-income countries, is one of the main risk factors for child undernutrition.…”

Condições Sociais E Condutas Maternas Na Prevenção E Manejo Da Diarreia Infantil

“…Embora estudo realizado no Vietnã tenha mostrado que o risco de diarreia infantil seja maior na zona rural quando comparada à zona urbana (10) , percebeu-se durante a execução da presente pesquisa que apesar da maioria das famílias residirem na zona urbana, o número de crianças que apresentou episódios diarreicos prévios foi superior às que não apresentaram.…”

Role of Biopsychosocial Factors on the Risk of Pneumonia in Children Under-Five Years Old at Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta

“…Bayi dengan BBLR berisiko mengalami gangguan pertumbuhan, seperti pada penelitian Nguyen et al, (2013) menyebutkan bahwa bayi dengan BBLR sulit mencapai berat badan maupun tinggi badan yang optimal sampai usia 24 bulan. BBLR ini merupakan faktor intermediet pertumbuhan anak yang merupakan indikator status gizi anak, sedangkan yang menjadi underlying factor adalah pendidikan ibu, pekerjaan ibu, dan ekonomi keluarga (Nguyen et al, 2013).…”

“…BBLR ini merupakan faktor intermediet pertumbuhan anak yang merupakan indikator status gizi anak, sedangkan yang menjadi underlying factor adalah pendidikan ibu, pekerjaan ibu, dan ekonomi keluarga (Nguyen et al, 2013). Hal ini mendukung bahwa BBLR berkaitan dengan status gizi anak yang dapat menjadi faktor risiko secara tidak langsung kejadian pneumonia balita.…”