Risk factors of anemia among selected countries experiencing higher rate of under-5 mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: a three-way interaction model

Background: Over 1.8 million under-five mortality could be avoided each year if anemia is dealt with. No adequate information on the determinants of anemia among the sub-Saharan countries experiencing a higher after prevalence under-5 mortality. This study identified the risk factors of anemia among three sub-Saharan countries (Benin, Guinea and Nigeria).Methods: A total of 24137 records from the 2018 demographic and health survey. The outcome variable was anemia status (Anemic=1, not anemic=0). Measures of effects (AOR) were assessed using binary logistic regression and random-effect generalized linear model. Stata MP 16 was used for the data analysis.Results: Anemia was found to be common among children in Nigeria (ENREF 59.4%), Benin (58.2%), and Guinea (46.0%). Children (<6 months) had higher risk of anemia (AOR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.05-1.37). Intake of drugs for the treatment of intestinal parasites during pregnancy was found to be protective against anemia in Nigeria (AOR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.89-0.97) and Guinea (AOR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.63-0.91). Main cooking fuel: Kerosene (AOR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.05-1.65) and firewood (AOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.17-1.81) were associated with a higher risk of anemia.Conclusions: Children of younger age (<6 months) deserve priority attention in the battle against anemia. Intake of drugs for intestinal parasites during pregnancy presents a potentially impactful strategy for anemia prevention among under-5 children in addition to routine deworming and treatments. Also, rural residents, users of kerosene and firewood as main cooking fuel, and users of unprotected well as main source of drinking water needs attention in the awareness and campaigns against under-5 anemia.

Predictors for time to recovery from sever acute malnutrition among under-five children admitted to therapeutic feeding unit at Dubti referral hospital, Afar region, Ethiopia

Background Currently, about 165 million children are categorized under malnutrition and 51.5 million suffering from acute malnutrition in world wide. Hence, the objective of current study was to assess the recovery time and its predictors of children under five from severe acute malnutrition admitted to Therapeutic Feeding Unit at Dubti Referral Hospital, Afar region, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods Institutional based retrospective cohort study was conducted on 650 inpatient children with SAM admitted for therapeutic feeding unit whose treatment was from March to April/2017. Results The result in current investigation indicates that the average recovery time from SAM was found to be 21 days (95% CI; 21.23–25.77), p-value = 0.035). A Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed that Weight of a child at birth, gestational age of a child, working status of a child at admission birth order of a child, mother’s BMI, mother’s level of education, mother’s stature, mother’s occupation, mother’s age, mother’s marital status, mother’s nutritional status, house hold income in ETB, family size in HH, number of under-five children, the type of toilet used in HH, source of improved drinking water, type of cooking fuel, ownership of livestock, age and weight of a child at admission had statistically significant association with the variation of average recovery time of children from SAM. Conclusion Male children under severe acute malnutrition, rural children, children with different additional diseases and children who did not get mothers’ breast milk at least in the first six months after birth and children who did not get vaccination are groups at risk and needs intervention and special attention to be recovered with short period of time. Children from low income family, who did not get improved drinking water, without moderate cooking fuel and a child from larger families were groups at risk in recovery time from SAM.

Electric Cooking Diary in Bangladesh: Energy Requirement, Cost of Cooking Fuel, Prospects, and Challenges

Detrimental effects exerted by biomass-based traditional cookstoves on health, environment, hygiene, and the soaring price of gas makes it imperative to investigate the feasibility of electric cooking as a promising clean cooking fuel in the context of Bangladesh. However, the adoption of electric cooking is unlikely to be welcomed if the monthly cost of electricity consumed by the electric cooking appliances is not comparable to traditional cooking fuels. So far, no study has been reported in this respect. Therefore, this paper is aimed to assess the energy consumption of available electric cooking appliances for cooking typical Bangladeshi dishes. Estimated monthly electricity cost of electric cooking is also reported and then compared to that of traditional cooking fuels. For the study purpose, three respondent families were provided with a rice cooker, hot plate, induction cooker and electric pressure cooker for cooking their daily meals. After four months of use, data related to dish cooked, amount of food, cooking time, and energy consumption were collected which shows that hot plate and rice cooker were the least preferred appliances due to their poor workmanship and limited use respectively. On the contrary, despite the fact that electric pressure cookers cannot perform all types of frying, it was the most preferred appliance owing to its ability to significantly reduce the cooking time and its less energy consumption. Induction cooker was less preferred for the additional requirement of compatible cook pots. The study also reveals that monthly energy requirements for electric cooking varied from 72–87 kWh corresponding to a cooking electricity bill ranging from BDT 504–609 per month (USD 6–7.5) which is less expensive as compared with biomass and LPG based cooking. This paper also highlights the prospects and challenges associated with the adoption of electricity as the primary cooking fuel in Bangladesh.

Fuel Briquettes from Sal (Shorea robusta) Forest Litter as an Alternative Cooking Fuel

Sal (Shorea robusta) forest leaf litter strongly influences seed germination and seedling survivorship. Therefore, it is crucial to open up the litter layer in such a forest with abundant leaf litter. Briquetting of Sal forest leaf litter can be an option for its management and meet the increasing energy demand. This research work is performed to quantify the amount of Sal forest litter and study the briquette’s combustion properties. The study was carried out in the Namuna Community Forest of Jhapa district. The average weight of leaf litter in the field was observed to be 851 g/m2 . Five varieties of briquettes were produced using different briquetting technologies. Proximate analysis results, calorific value and water boiling tests show these briquettes have good fuel characteristics and can be used as alternative cooking fuel.