RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: This study examines body composition and nutritional status of Haitian children and adolescents living in urban and peri-urban communities in the Dominican Republic to provide estimates of stunting, underweight, overweight, and obesity for this under-researched population. METHODS: Anthropometric measures including height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, and skinfold thicknesses (triceps and subscapular) were obtained for Kreyòl-speaking school-aged children (n = 105, males = 51, females = 54, ages 4-17). Z-scores for height, body mass index (BMI), and upper arm muscle area by height were used to classify children's nutritional status. Variation among sex and age groups was assessed. RESULTS: Relatively low rates of stunting (4.8%) and thinness (2.9%) were identified. The total prevalence of overweight was 5.7% and 2.9% of children were classified as having obesity. Girls had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity and risk of overweight (16.7%) than boys (3.9%, p = .033). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity (8.6%) suggests that Haitian children in these urban and peri-urban communities are experiencing the nutrition transition. Interventions should address the development of excess weight, especially among girls, as well as persisting undernutrition and stunting.
Assuntos
Estado Nutricional , Sobrepeso , Masculino , Feminino , Adolescente , Humanos , Criança , Sobrepeso/epidemiologia , Sobrepeso/etiologia , Haiti/epidemiologia , República Dominicana/epidemiologia , Índice de Massa Corporal , Obesidade/epidemiologia , Composição Corporal , Magreza/epidemiologia , Transtornos do Crescimento/epidemiologia , Transtornos do Crescimento/etiologia , PrevalênciaRESUMO
Previous research has drawn attention to the health risks and poor living conditions that families of Haitian descent contend with in the Dominican Republic, particularly in rural, agricultural communities. Less clearly described is whether these problems persist as households transition to non-agricultural work and increasingly urban residence patterns. This study compares the use of health care services and access to water, sanitation, and food for Haitian and Dominico-Haitian families living in the city of Puerto Plata with households located on the rural-urban fringe. Data were collected during household surveys with 61 urban and 30 rural/peri-urban families. Households residing in the rural/peri-urban community had lower incomes, more unmet sanitation needs, and less stable access to water than urban families. Overall, households lacked adequate food, with 74.4% experiencing food insufficiency. Respondents reported using diverse types of health services and treatments, but households in the rural/peri-urban community had higher rates of health care use than urban families. These findings indicate urban families have better access to some resources that promote health than rural/peri-urban households. By identifying health issues and environmental conditions in rural/peri-urban and urban areas, this study aims to provide guidance for policy-makers, agencies, and organisations that serve Haitian migrant communities.
Assuntos
Promoção da Saúde , Condições Sociais , Atenção à Saúde , República Dominicana , Haiti , Humanos , População Rural , População UrbanaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: This study investigates evidence of the nutrition transition among women in Miskito communities on the northeastern coast of Honduras. AIM: The hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) is positively associated with body size and fatness is tested; and dietary and physical activity patterns are examined among SES groups. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An anthropometric survey was conducted with 200 non-pregnant women following standard procedures. Dietary intake and physical activity data were collected using 24-hour recall methods. Women were categorized into three SES groups (high, medium and low) based on economic and social attributes. Differences in anthropometric measures, diet and physical activity among SES groups were analysed. RESULTS: More than 70% (n = 142) of women in the sample were overweight or obese. Mean height, weight, skin-fold thicknesses, arm and calf circumferences, percentage body fat and upper-arm fat area were significantly greater among high SES women than low SES women. Women with high SES had lower rates of physical activity and higher rates of obesity, perceived food sufficiency, meat consumption, milk/dairy intake and general dietary diversity. CONCLUSION: High SES women were significantly fatter than low SES women; and variation observed among groups is likely related to different patterns of dietary intake and physical activity.
Assuntos
Tamanho Corporal , Etnicidade , Características de Residência , Classe Social , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Antropometria , Índice de Massa Corporal , Dieta , Feminino , Geografia , Honduras/etnologia , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Atividade Motora , Estado Nutricional , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Despite global initiatives to lower rates of maternal death, barriers to safe motherhood persist, particularly in socially and economically marginalized communities. This article describes the risks that women in Honduran Miskito villages encounter during pregnancy and childbirth. Ethnographic data are used to examine emic understandings of the underlying causes of maternal death. Participant observation, four community discussions, individual interviews with 218 women and five midwives, and a maternal mortality survey were conducted during November 2004 through November 2005. Case studies are drawn from the 55 death histories collected during the survey to illustrate the factors that contribute to maternal mortality. Community members identified poverty, gender inequality, witchcraft, and sorcery as major threats to safe motherhood. All of these factors influence women's health-related behaviors; and therefore, each issue deserves attention from public health officials. Designing appropriate interventions to improve maternal health depends on understanding the forces that increase women's vulnerability during pregnancy and childbirth. Local perspectives of risk, even when they diverge from biomedical understandings, point to specific needs, issues to address, and avenues for effective intervention.