Growth status of homeless Nepali boys: Do they differ from rural and urban controls?

Panter‐Brick, Catherine; Todd, Alison; Baker, Rachel

doi:10.1016/0277-9536(95)00410-6

Cited by 68 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Most human physiology research has focused on a small subset of Homo sapiens, primarily individuals living in urban environments in industrially developed regions of North America and Europe. In light of the range of population variation in growth and development in association with differences in nutritional status (Frisancho, 1990;Tanner, 1978;Panter-Brick et al, 1996), it is reasonable to infer that industrialized populations may not represent the total range of human physiologic variation, including reproductive function (Ellison, 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

Reproductive ecology and life history of the human male

Bribiescas

2001

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

210

117

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Until recently, the reproductive ecology of human males has not been extensively investigated, primarily as a result of the need for a theoretical framework based on the reproductive constraints and energetics of mammalian males. More specifically, male reproductive ecology has necessitated an integrative interpretation of clinical and anthropological data based on the premise that the evolution of human male life histories has involved selection for physiological mechanisms aimed at optimizing trade-offs between survivorship and reproductive effort. This paper attempts to address this gap in our understanding by presenting the current state of male reproductive ecology, including physiologic data from clinical and anthropological investigations as well as recent theoretical developments. Recent investigations outlining population variation in reproductive endocrine function are discussed within the context of potential sources of variation, including energetic expediture, caloric intake, and developmental canalization during adolescence. Additional summaries of male senescence and behavior are presented to provide a complete overview of male life history. Implications of recent anthropological data on contemporary health issues such as prostate cancer and the development of a male contraceptive are also discussed. Finally, several theories are presented that may contribute to our understanding of the evolution of male life histories and reproductive ecology, including theoretical suggestions involving the role of competition, mate choosiness, and potential constraints on male insemination ability, as well as a theory suggesting that male reproductive ecology may be best understood by analyzing energetic allocation decisions between differing somatic tissues that may be indicative of the competing needs for optimizing survivorship and reproductive effort. Directions for future research are finally considered.

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confidence: 99%

Reproductive ecology and life history of the human male

Bribiescas

2001

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

210

117

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“…In Nepal, children have been reported to have a high prevalence of growth retardation, in both rural areas (Costello, 1989;Panter-Brick, 1997) and among the urban poor (Panter-Brick et al 1996;Moffat, 1998). Assessment of growth status among 6 -36-monthold Nepali children has shown that 49 % are underweight and 64 % are stunted (Nepal Nations Multiple Indicator Surveillance, 1995; cited in UNICEF, 1996).…”

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confidence: 99%

Poor intestinal permeability in mildly stunted Nepali children: associations with weaning practices and <I>Giardia lamblia</I> infection

Goto

C.*²,

Northrop-Clewes

et al. 2002

British Journal of Nutrition

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Studies in the Gambia, using the lactulose -mannitol dual-sugar intestinal permeability test (lactulose:mannitol ratio) as a non-invasive way of investigating mucosal damage, have shown that food malabsorption is significantly associated with early growth retardation. In this cross-sectional study, 210 poor urban Nepali children, 0 -60 months old, were recruited and measured for height or length and weight, 167 were examined for intestinal permeability and 173 for parasite infection. Weaning and morbidity data were collected from 172 caretakers. Children were mildly stunted (mean height-for-age z-score 2 1·45) and underweight (mean weight-for-age z-score 2 1·62). The lactulose:mannitol ratio (0·26) was poorer than that of UK children (0·12), but similar to that found in Bengali children of the same age (0·24). Two stages of weaning, the onset supplementary feeding (6 months) and the cessation of breast-feeding (23 months), were shown to have differential impact. In children currently breast-feeding, the duration of supplementation was negatively related to lactose (P, 0·001) and lactose:lactulose values (P, 0·0001), indicating lactose maldigestion. In children who had ceased breast-feeding, a longer period of lactation was associated with poorer intestinal permeability (P¼0·031), and poorer height-for-age (P¼ 0·024), which was an unexpected result. No significant relationships were found between intestinal permeability and growth, or with morbidity and helminth infection, except in children with Giardia lamblia who had worse lactulose:mannitol ratios than those without (0·43 v. 0·25 respectively, P¼ 0·014). It is likely that insults to the gut (e.g. Giardia) and challenges to the immune system (weaning) have a different impact in early and late infancy.Breast-feeding: Lactose digestion: Growth: Malnutrition: Malabsorption: Diarrhoea Poor growth status is an indicator of inappropriate living conditions and a poor environment (Tanner, 1986;Panter-Brick, 1998). In Nepal, children have been reported to have a high prevalence of growth retardation, in both rural areas (Costello, 1989;Panter-Brick, 1997) and among the urban poor (Panter-Brick et al. 1996;Moffat, 1998). Assessment of growth status among 6 -36-monthold Nepali children has shown that 49 % are underweight and 64 % are stunted (Nepal Nations Multiple Indicator Surveillance, 1995; cited in UNICEF, 1996). In infancy, growth faltering is evident from 6 months (Costello, 1989;Moffat, 1998).Most studies relate growth faltering to either food intake or infection. Lunn (2000), however, suggested that food malabsorption is a significant cause of malnutrition, resulting from abnormal function of the small intestinal mucosa. He outlined two possible mechanisms leading to undernutrition. First, following infection by dietary pathogens, possibly from unhygienic food preparation or storage, the villi in small intestinal mucosa are damaged and lose the vulnerable disaccharide lactase, leading to maldigestion of lactose and probably other nutrients. Second, the barrier f...

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“…The growth of many of the children was sufficiently stunted that they had heights below the minimum required to calculate weight-forheight z-scores. A strategy proposed by Cole (1993), and used successfully by Panter-Brick et al (1996) in a study of Nepali street children, was used to estimate weight-for-height z-scores for the Dhaka children. Children with z-scores of less than À2.00 for height-for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-for-age were classified as stunted, wasted, and underweight, respectively (Waterlow et al, 1977;WHO Working Group, 1986).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, studies concluded that children of the street are either no less biologically fit (Dobrowolska and Panter-Brick, 1998;Scanlon et al, 1998) or are actually somewhat fitter (Gross et al, 1996;Panter-Brick et al, 1996;Wright et al, 1973) than other poor children. One possible explanation for the finding that children living on the streets may not be as vulnerable as originally assumed is that psychologically and biologically fitter children may be more likely to make the decision to move to the streets, and/or once the move to the streets has been made, may be more likely to remain there (Aptekar, 1994;Panter-Brick, 2002;Solomons and Gross, 1995;Veale et al, 2000).…”

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confidence: 96%

“…As noted by Panter-Brick et al (1996), both children of the street and children on the streets tend to come from poor families, so that determining the effects of street life, independent of the effects of poverty, requires utilizing appropriate controls. This was accomplished in the present study by comparing the physical growth and health of children of the streets with little or no contact with their families with fairly comparable children living in the slums of Dhaka with their families but working on the streets during the day.…”

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confidence: 98%

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Growth and health status of street children in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Greksa

Naganuma

Islam

et al. 2006

American J Hum Biol

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The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of street life on the growth and health status of poor children who live and work full-time on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh (street children), independent of the effects of poverty. This was accomplished by comparing 142 street children with 150 poor children who live and work on the streets of Dhaka but who return to their families at night (slum children). Children between 7-14 years old were recruited at locales where street and slum children are typically found. Weight and upper arm circumference did not differ significantly between street and slum children (P > 0.05), but energy reserves, as assessed by skinfolds, were significantly larger in street than in slum children (P < 0.05). There was no wasting in either street or slum children. Although the majority of children in both groups were stunted and underweight, there were no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). The prevalence of disease symptoms tended to be slightly higher in street children than in slum children, but few of the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). These data do not support the contention that street children are a particularly high-risk group. The greater-than-expected growth and health status of street children, compared to other poor children, may be due to biologically fitter children being more likely to permanently move to the streets and/or to remain on the streets once the move has been made.

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Growth status of homeless Nepali boys: Do they differ from rural and urban controls?

Cited by 68 publications

References 22 publications

Reproductive ecology and life history of the human male

Reproductive ecology and life history of the human male

Poor intestinal permeability in mildly stunted Nepali children: associations with weaning practices and <I>Giardia lamblia</I> infection

Growth and health status of street children in Dhaka, Bangladesh

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