Assessment of families' experience with care integration within an aerodigestive program.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess if enrollment in a pediatric multidisciplinary aerodigestive program significantly impacted families' experiences with care integration. METHODS: A previously validated 48-question Pediatric Integrated Care Survey (PICS) was administered in a cross-sectional manner to both new (new-ADC) and established (est-ADC) patients presenting for an outpatient Aerodigestive Center visit at Boston Children's Hospital. Survey results were grouped into the following five care coordination domains: (1) access to care, (2) care goal creation/planning, (3) family impact, (4) communication with health care providers, and (5) team functioning. Families were asked to rate their care integration experiences in the prior 12 months using yes/no and Likert-based questions. Comparisons were analyzed using logistic regression. Factor analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Ninety patient families were surveyed: 54 (60%) est-ADC patients and 36 (40%) new-ADC patients. Est-ADC patients reported higher levels of experience with team functioning, provider awareness of prior testing, provider communication, and access to alternative methods of communication. Self-identified non-White patients reported lower satisfaction in team functioning and provider understanding of their child's long-term care plan. No significant differences in care integration experiences before and after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Patients enrolled in aerodigestive centers experienced improved care integration, most significantly in provider communication and team functioning. Despite these improvements, self-identified non-White families reported a lower care integration experience.

Associations of Diet Quality, Socioeconomic Factors, and Nutritional Status with Gestational Weight Gain among Pregnant Women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a modifiable factor associated with maternal and child health outcomes, but the relationship between diet quality and GWG has not been evaluated using metrics validated for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: This study aimed to investigate relationships between diet quality, socioeconomic characteristics, and GWG adequacy using the novel Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS), the first diet quality indicator validated for use across LMIC. Methods: Weights of pregnant women enrolled between 12 and 27 wk of gestation (N = 7577) were recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 2001 to 2005 during a prenatal micronutrient supplementation trial. GWG adequacy was the ratio of measured GWG to Institute of Medicine-recommended GWG, categorized into severely inadequate (<70%), inadequate (70 to <90%), adequate (90 to <125%), or excessive (≥125%). Dietary data were collected using 24-h recalls. Multinomial logit models were used to estimate relationships between GDQS tercile, macronutrient intake, nutritional status, and socioeconomic characteristics and GWG. Results: GDQS scores in the second [relative risk (RR): 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70, 0.97] tercile were associated with lower risk of inadequate weight gain than those in the first tercile. Increased protein intake was associated with higher risk of severely inadequate GWG (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.09). Nutritional status and socioeconomic factors were associated with GWG: underweight prepregnancy BMI (in kg/m2) with a higher risk of severely inadequate GWG (RR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.99), overweight or obese BMI with a higher risk of excessive GWG (RR: 6.80; 95% CI: 5.34, 8.66), and a higher education (RR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.89), wealth (RR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.80), and height (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.95, 0.98) with a lower risk of severely inadequate GWG. Conclusions: Dietary indicators showed few associations with GWG. However, stronger relationships were revealed between GWG, nutritional status, and several socioeconomic factors.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00197548.

Cost-effectiveness of Zinc Supplementation for Prevention of Childhood Diarrhoea in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of prophylactic zinc supplementation for preventing diarrhoea in young children in Tanzania. DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness analysis using decision-analytic modelling. Cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated as the incremental cost (2019 USD) per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted, from a societal perspective, and with a 3% discount rate applied to future outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of results to alternative assumptions. SETTING: Tanzania. PARTICIPANTS: A hypothetical cohort of 10,000 children ages 6 weeks to 18 months. RESULTS: The intervention costs of zinc supplementation were estimated as $109,800 (95% uncertainty interval: 61,716-171,507). Zinc supplementation was estimated to avert 2,200 (776-3,737) diarrhoeal episodes, 14,080 (4,692-25,839) sick days, 1,584 (522-2,927) outpatient visits, 561 (160-1,189) inpatient bed-days, 0.51 (0.15-1.03) deaths, and 19.3 (6.1-37.5) DALYs (discounted at 3% per year). Zinc supplementation reduced diarrhoea care costs by $12, 887 (4,089-25,058). The incremental cost per DALY averted was $4,950 (1,678-17,933). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) estimated from a health system perspective were similar to the results from the societal perspective. ICERs were substantially lower (more favourable) when future outcomes were not discounted, but all ICERs were above contemporary thresholds for cost-effectiveness in this setting. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic zinc reduced diarrhoea incidence and associated healthcare utilization; however it did not appear to be cost-effective for prevention of childhood diarrhoea in the scenario examined in this study. Reducing intervention costs, or identifying high risk groups for intervention targeting, may be needed to improve cost-effectiveness in this setting.

Creation of Experience-based Celiac Benchmarks: The First Step in Pretransition Self-management Assessment.

OBJECTIVES: Transition planning for children with chronic disease includes the development of independence in many self-management tasks. Conditions that depend on diet have distinct skill sets not well assessed by the traditional transition-readiness tools. There has been literature that describes age-appropriate skill acquisition for diabetes and food allergy patients. There are, however, no age-appropriate benchmarks established for celiac disease (CD). METHODS: CD experts (including physician, nurse, dietician, social worker, patient, and parent) created a list of celiac-related tasks, which formed the basis of the survey. Patients with CD, and their parents, were recruited from outpatient celiac clinic and support groups, and invited to report the age each task was mastered. RESULTS: Respondents included 204 patients and 155 parents. Mean age was 12 years (standard deviation 4.6) with average of 4 years since diagnosis. The earliest tasks were mastered by a median age of 8 years, such as recognizing GF as gluten-free, eating safely in a shared space and recognizing basic unsafe foods. Describing the effects of eating gluten or explaining CD to a friend or stranger occurred around age 10. Asking about gluten-free preparation in a restaurant, and identifying gluten-free medications or vitamins was mastered around age 12, whereas tasks involved with safe domestic travel or assessing risk in a job environment occurred between 14 and 16. The interquartile range was about 4 years for each question. No significant difference seen between patient and parent reports. CONCLUSIONS: This novel patient-centered celiac skill list may improve anticipatory guidance and accelerate self-management skills.

High Burden of Morbidity and Mortality but Not Growth Failure in Infants Exposed to but Uninfected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health and growth outcomes in children infected with HIV, children exposed to but uninfected with HIV, and children unexposed to HIV. STUDY DESIGN: Our cohort included 3554 Tanzanian children enrolled in 2 trials of micronutrient supplementation. Among infants born to mothers infected with HIV, 264 were infected with HIV and 2088 were exposed to but uninfected at 6 weeks of age. An additional 1202 infants were unexposed to HIV. Infants were followed until 18 months of age, death, or loss to follow-up. Morbidity and growth were assessed at monthly nurse visits. RESULTS: Compared with unexposed infants, hazard ratios (95% CI) for all-cause mortality in infants infected with HIV and infants who were exposed to but uninfected with HIV were 28.99 (14.83-56.66) and 2.79 (1.41-5.53), respectively, after adjusting for demographic and nutritional covariates. Compared with infants unexposed to HIV, infants infected with HIV also had a significantly greater risk of all measured morbidities, while infants who were exposed to but uninfected with HIV were significantly more likely to suffer from cough, fever, unscheduled outpatient visits, and hospitalizations. Infants infected with HIV also were more likely to experience stunting, wasting, and underweight at baseline and during follow-up. Infants exposed to but uninfected with HIV were more likely to be underweight at baseline (adjusted relative risk, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.45-2.89), but on average, experienced slower declines in height-for-age z-score, weight-for-age z-score, and weight-for-height z-score as well as a lower rate of stunting over follow-up, compared with unexposed infants. CONCLUSION: In addition to preventing and treating HIV infection in infants, prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission of HIV and child health services should also target children exposed to but uninfected with HIV to improve health outcomes in this vulnerable population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00197730 and NCT00421668.

Determinants of high blood pressure and barriers to diagnosis and treatment in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the prevalence and determinants of high blood pressure (BP), and barriers to diagnosis and treatment, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: We surveyed and screened 2174 community-dwelling adults aged at least 40 years in 2014 and conducted a follow-up after 1 year. RESULTS: Median BP was 131/81 mmHg, and hypertension prevalence was 37%. Mean adjusted difference in SBP was 4.0 mmHg for overweight, 6.3 mmHg for obese class I, and 10.5 mmHg for obese class II/III compared with normal weight participants. Those who were physically inactive had 4.8 mmHg higher SBP compared with those with more than 24 h of moderate or vigorous activity per week. Drinkers of at least 10 g of alcohol per day had 4.5 mmHg higher SBP than did nondrinkers. Among hypertensive participants, 48% were previously diagnosed, 22% were treated, and 10% were controlled. Hypertensive participants without health insurance were 12% less likely to have been previously diagnosed than insured hypertensive participants. Of referred participants, 68% sought care, but only 27% were on treatment and 8% had controlled BP at follow-up. Reasons for not seeking care included lack of symptoms, cost of visit, and lack of time. Reasons for not being on treatment included lack of symptoms, not being prescribed treatment, and having finished one course of treatment. CONCLUSION: Major risk factors for hypertension in Dar es Salaam are overweight, obesity, inadequate physical activity, and limited access to quality medical care. Increased insurance coverage and community-based screening, along with quality medical care and patient education, may help control this burgeoning epidemic.

Gender-related differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and their correlates in urban Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Urban areas in Africa suffer a serious problem with dual burden of infectious diseases and emerging chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes which pose a serious threat to population health and health care resources. However in East Africa, there is limited literature in this research area. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and their correlates among adults in Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Results of this study will help inform future research and potential preventive and therapeutic interventions against such chronic diseases. METHODS: The study design was a cross sectional epidemiological study. A total of 209 participants aged between 44 and 66 years were included in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics. Blood samples were collected and analyzed to measure lipid profile and fasting glucose levels. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined using World Health Organization criteria. RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30) was 13% and 35%, among men and women (p = 0.0003), respectively. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 11% and 58% (p < 0.0001), and high WHR (men: >0.9, women: >0.85) was 51% and 73% (p = 0.002) for men and women respectively. Women had 4.3 times greater odds of obesity (95% CI: 1.9-10.1), 14.2-fold increased odds for abdominal adiposity (95% CI: 5.8-34.6), and 2.8 times greater odds of high waist-hip-ratio (95% CI: 1.4-5.7), compared to men. Women had more than three-fold greater odds of having metabolic syndrome (p = 0.001) compared to male counterparts, including abdominal obesity, low HDL-cholesterol, and high fasting blood glucose components. In contrast, female participants had 50% lower odds of having hypertension, compared to men (95%CI: 0.3-1.0). Among men, BMI and waist circumference were significantly correlated with blood pressure, triglycerides, total, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol (BMI only), and fasting glucose; in contrast, only blood pressure was positively associated with BMI and waist circumference in women. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CVD risk factors was high in this population, particularly among women. Health promotion, primary prevention, and health screening strategies are needed to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Tanzania.