Designing a Low-Cost Multifunctional Infant Incubator.

Every year, an unacceptably large number of infant deaths occur in developing nations, with premature birth and asphyxia being two of the leading causes. A well-regulated thermal environment is critical for neonatal survival. Advanced incubators currently exist, but they are far too expensive to meet the needs of developing nations. We are developing a thermodynamically advanced low-cost incubator suitable for operation in a low-resource environment. Our design features three innovations: (1) a disposable baby chamber to reduce infant mortality due to nosocomial infections, (2) a passive cooling mechanism using low-cost heat pipes and evaporative cooling from locally found clay pots, and (3) insulated panels and a thermal bank consisting of water that effectively preserve and store heat. We developed a prototype incubator and visited and presented our design to our partnership hospital site in Mysore, India. After obtaining feedback, we have determined realistic, nontrivial design requirements and constraints in order to develop a new prototype incubator for clinical trials in hospitals in India.

Nutritional status of tribal children and adolescents in rural south India: the effect of an NGO delivered nutritional programme.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of malnutrition using anthropometric measures in a cohort of tribal students attending a school in rural south India. Children attending the school were offered three meals a day during attendance. Analysis of anthropometric data obtained aimed to determine the nutritional effect of the food provided. METHODS: The nutritional status of 409 students were assessed by comparing anthropometric measurements to reference values according to WHO/NCHS guidelines. Height for age <3rd percentile was defined as stunting. BMI for age <5th percentile was defined as thinness. 'New' students were defined as attending the school for <1 y. 'Old' students were defined as being in attendance for ≥ 1 y. Comparison of thinness and stunting prevalence in these groups enabled evaluation of the meals provided by the organisation. RESULTS: Four hundred and nine students were included for analysis in the study. The prevalence of thinness was 39.4 %. 59.5 % of 'new' and 52.9 % of 'old' students at the school demonstrated thinness. 59.4 % of students were classified as stunted. 73.8 % of 'new' students and 52.9 % of 'old' students demonstrated stunting (p 0.091). Significantly (p 0.010) more 'new' female students had stunted growth. CONCLUSIONS: Acute and chronic measures of malnutrition were high amongst adolescent students attending the school. Comparison of 'new' and 'old' adolescent pupils at the school hints that the 'old' students were less malnourished than their 'new' counterparts. This study demonstrates the importance for NGOs to develop their nutritional programmes with a special focus on adolescents.