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Biomedical subjects

A Lechtig

Publications and source records attributed to A Lechtig.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Genetic-environmental interactions in physical growth.

Variability in stature among young children is often ascribed to health and nutrition differences in malnourished populations and to genetic differences in well-nourished populations. Hence, it was hypothesized that parent-child correlations in malnourished Guatemalan populations would be markedly lower than those reported for European samples. Instead, it was found that parent-child and sibling correlations were similar in both kinds of populations. The simplest interpretation of these results is that variability in stature among malnourished children is as much as reflection of genetic differences as in developed nations. However, explanations can also be advanced which would attribute the higher than expected correlations to the environment. For instance, it could be that socioeconomic and nutritional status is correlated across generations. In other words, parents who had relatively better conditions as children are more likely to provide a better environment for their children. Consequently, the relative contribution of genetics and environment to variability in height is still unsettled. Nonetheless, it appears that variability in body size in malnourished populations, regardless of the relative importance of its causes, is a useful indicator of health and nutrition.

Body Height↗
PubMed1977

The nutrition problem in Latin America: definition, causes, and remedial actions.

Clinical, dietary, and biochemical surveys have shown that on the whole Latin America faces a serious nutrition problem. This article reviews the nature and extent of that problem, especially its effects on maternal and child health, and suggests various approaches for researchers, health professionals, and political authorities that would contribute to its resolution.

Child↗
PubMed1977

[Effects of diarrhea on growth retardation in Guatemalan children].

The relationship between days ill with diarrhea and growth velocities in height and weight was investigated in 716 children from rural Guatemala, ranging in age from 0 to 7 years. Information regarding diarrheal diseases was obtained through biweekly interviews of mothers. Increments studies were semestral from 0 to 48 months and annual from 48 to 84 months of age. The results, based on two years of date collection, show that the greater the percent of time ill with diarrhea, the smaller the increments in height and weight. It was estimated that diarrheal diseases explain around 10% of the growth retardation observed in this population.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1976

A simple assessment of the risk of low birth weight to select women for nutritional intervention.

There is growing evidence that the high prevalence of low-birth-weight (LBW) babies, a characteristic of many poor societies, can be significantly reduced through nutritional intervention programs. In order to increase the efficiency of these programs, pregnant women at risk of delivering LBW babies must be identified. Several risk scales have been extensively used in urban populations of developed countries. However, these indicators are of little use in poor communities, since most of them require expensive laboratory techniques, a long interview, at least two visits to a health center, and a precise estimation of gestational age. The present paper proposes several risk indicators of LBW, appropriate for use in areas with inadequate health resources. In a four-year longitudinal study of pregnant women from poor rural villages in Guatemala, mothers of LBW babies were found to be typically small in stature and head circumference. In addition, their houses tended to be of relatively poor quality. The proportion of LBW babies found among women at risk, as defined by these indicators, was significantly lower among women with similar characteristics receiving adequate food supplementation during pregnancy. Categories of high risk were based on maternal height, head circumference, and house quality. It is concluded that use of these categories will increase the efficiency of these programs without decreasing significantly their effectiveness.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1976

Upper arm anthropometric indicators of nutritional status.

The growth in arm muscle area and arm fat area of preschool children from rural Guatemala is compared to that of a standard from the U.S.A. It was found that although the Guatemalan children have reduced arm muscle and fat areas, the relative reduction in arm fat area was greater than in arm muscle area. Further, the upper arm cross-sectional area of Guatemalan children had proportionately more muscle than fat when compared to that of U.S.A. children. Lastly, for the same body weight, Guatemalan children had a similar arm muscle area but a clearly smaller arm fat area than North American children. It is concluded that these findings suggest that energy rather than protein is the main nutritional problem in these Guatemalan children.

Age Factors↗