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Biomedical subjects

G J Ebrahim

Publications and source records attributed to G J Ebrahim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The street children of Recife: a study of their background.

A classification of street children as those 'on' the street and 'of' the street is offered. In a study of children 'on' the street, economic need of the family was the main cause (82 per cent). The children were 14 times more likely to come from families who have recently moved into a neighbourhood; 3 and 3.7 times, respectively, to come from households headed by the mother or her male companion; nine times more likely to be living in homes without running water, and four times more likely to be without toilet facilities. The family income was a third less than average. Some families had sent their children out to work as early as the age of 5 years. Ninety-four per cent of the children were contributing between half to all of their earning to the home, although this was less so with older children. Exploitation at work was common. More than three-quarters earned less than the minimum wage, and half of them earned less than half the minimum wage. More than a third were not attending school and, among them, 87 per cent had left school after going 'on' the street. Those attending school were a grade or two behind that expected for their age. After working on the street for several years (mode = 4 years; longest = 12 years) most could see themselves as continuing to work in the informal sector. They ways in which MCH services can respond to the needs of street children are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Shigellosis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Asia, Southeastern↗
PubMed1991

The antecedents of adolescent pregnancy in a Brazilian squatter community.

A case-control study among first time pregnant adolescent girls in a squatter community in Recife, Brazil, showed that 46 per cent had already dropped out of school (P less than 0.001) and had a job at the time of their pregnancy (P less than 0.001; RR 5.5). Two-thirds came from single-parent households (P less than 0.001; RR 2.8) with weak supervision at home. There was some indication of modelling effect, in that more pregnant adolescents had mothers who became pregnant before the age of 15, or close family members who were adolescent mothers, but the difference was not statistically significant. By contrast, the peer group effect was significant (P less than 0.05; RR 1.9). More amongst the pregnant adolescents had commenced menarche before age 13, and twice as many compared to controls had started regular dating before that age (P less than 0.05; RR 2.3). There was a striking lack of knowledge concerning menarche, conception and contraception. The implications of the findings for school and health services in squatter communities are discussed. Four main antecedents on the path to parenthood when the adolescent can benefit from counseling are identified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Frequency of behaviour disorder and related factors in school children in Lusaka.

In a cross-sectional study of behaviour disorders amongst children attending three primary schools in Lusaka 210 children, aged 8-12 years, were assessed by means of the behaviour rating questionnaire developed by Rutter for teachers. The frequency of behaviour disorder was 14.8 per cent with sex ratio 1.9:1 (boy:girl). Children's mothers were interviewed to obtain background social and demographic information about the family, and anthropometric measurements were made on the children. Behaviour disorder was largely associated with characteristics of the school, socio-economic status, mother's occupation, play facilities at home and past history of hospitalization. The relevance of the behaviour rating questionnaire for developing countries is discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1990

Malnutrition among children of adolescent mothers in a squatter community of Recife, Brazil.

In a study of 357 first time mothers in a squatter community of Recife it was found that 1 in 10 were less than 15 years old and 60 per cent less than 20 at the time of their first delivery. Two groups of mothers were distinguished, viz. adolescent mothers with a mean (SD) age at first delivery of 16.7 (0.78) years and older mothers with a mean (SD) age at first delivery of 25 (0.79). More than a third were living in common-law union. Of the adolescent mothers only 58 per cent were living with the child's father. A further 23 per cent had received financial support from their own parents during the pregnancy. The rest were expelled from home. The adolescent mothers were generally worse off with a per capita income generally half of that of older mothers. About a quarter of all children studied were below the 10th centile of NCHS standards (23 per cent by weight/age; 28 per cent by height/age). The undernourished first born was 2.5 times more likely to have an adolescent mother, four times more likely to be in a household with low income, and two times more likely to have an illiterate mother as compared to the first borns who remain well nourished. The implications of these findings for urban primary health care programmes are further discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Infant mortality and undernutrition in the squatter settlements of Karachi.

The socio-demographic and biological processes contributing to infant mortality and undernourishment were studied in five urban squatter settlements of Karachi. All those families who had experienced an infant death in the past 2 years (N = 106) were recruited into the study. Comparative children were selected by random numbers with geographical matching from families with at least one live infant and without a history of infant deaths in the past 2 years. The comparison children were weighed and those found underweight (27 per cent) were studied for the presence of risk factors. Forty-one per cent of all deaths were in the neonatal period, and in 47 per cent of cases deaths had occurred in infants with a birth order of 5 and above. Age, duration of breast feeding, birth interval, and the live/dead status of the previous sibling were significant biological variables accounting for 23 per cent of the variance for survival. Socio-economic status accounted for 22 per cent of the variance and health-seeking behaviour (antenatal care, immunization, etc.) for 28 per cent. Sixty-eight per cent of those underweight were more than 6 months old. Age, female sex, birth interval less than 24 months, duration of breast feeding, adolescent mother, alive/dead status of the previous child were significant influences accounting for 12 per cent of the variance. Socio-economic status and health seeking behaviour were also important determinants, but not to the same extent as in the case of infant death.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Strategies educated mothers use to ensure the health of their children.

Mothers attending the out-patients in a programme of primary health care in rural west Bengal were interviewed for obtaining personal, socio-economic, and health data. Anthropometric measurements were made on them and their accompanying children. Sixty-five of the mothers were educated (defined as primary level and above of education) and 136 were not. The uneducated group had experienced a greater rate of child loss at 130 per 1000 births compared to 58 per 1000 births in the educated group. They were shorter (mean height 1.487 +/- 0.0475 m) compared to the educated group (mean height 1.507 +/- 0.051 m; P less than 0.01). Their children had a higher proportion of growth deficiencies, significant for height-for-age (P less than 0.001). These differences persisted after controlling for socio-economic status. The strategies used by the educated mothers were significantly more appropriate than those of their non-educated counterparts with regard to pregnancy and childbirth, diarrhoea, immunization, family planning, and source of treatment in illness. The educated women also benefited more from the primary health care programme.

Adult↗