Breastfeeding prevalence among six-week-old infants at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, 1995

Eighty-five (85) mothers attending post-natal and well baby clinics were interviewed at six-weeks post-partum regarding breastfeeding practices of their latest child. An overall prevalence of 98.8 percent at six-weeks-of-age was seen, with an exclusive breastfeeding rate of 37.6 percent. Older maternal age and multiparity favoured exclusive breastfeeding. There was no significant association between the pattern of breastfeeding (exclusive versus partial) and employment or union status. Breastfeeding was found to favour good weight gain in normal birthweight babies. Normal birthweight babies who were exclusively breastfed had a higher mean weight gain than the exclusively breastfed low birthweight infants, who had better weight gain when partially breastfed (AU)

Breastfeeding prevalence among six-week infants at University Hospital of the West Indies

Eighty-five (85) mothers attending postnatal and well baby clinics were interviewed at six weeks post-partum regarding breastfeeding. An overall prevalence of 98.8 percent at six weeks of age was seen, with an exclusive breastfeeding rate of 37.6 percent. Older maternal age and multiparity favoured exclusive breastfeeding. There was no significant association between pattern of breastfeeding (exclusive versus partial) and employment or union status. Breastfeeding was found to favour good weight gain in normal birthweight babies. Normal birthweight babies who were exclusively breastfed had a higher mean weight gain than the exclusively breastfed low birthweight infants, who in turn had better weight gain when partially breastfed (AU)

Continuities and change in behavior disturbance: a follow-up study of mildly retarded young people.

The relationship between behavior disturbance in childhood and the early adult years was examined for a population of mildly retarded young people. Behavior disturbance was also examined in relation to upbringing experiences and whether or not treatment was received in childhood. Relationships found were different for males and females.

The contributions of differing degrees of acute and chronic malnutrition to the intellectual development of Jamaican boys

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether differing degrees and types of malnutrition cause differing degrees of mental impairment. Subjects were 59 Jamaican boys hospitalized for malnutrition in infancy and whose intelligence was assessed at school age. The measure used for degree of chronic malnutrition was height for age and for acute malnutrition weight for height. The measure of intelligence was the I.Q. (WISC). Because the social environment in which a child lives influences his intellectual development, a measure of social background was used as an independent variable in addition to the nutrition measures. Social background showed a significant effect on I.Q. but neither measure of nutrition was significant. A further analysis using comparisons who had not been hospitalized for malnutrition suggests that malnutrition may contribute to mental impairment, through a threshold effect rather than acting as a continous variable where increasing degrees of malnutrition cause increasing degrees of mental impairment.(Summary)

Growth, behaviour, and educational achievement of Jamaican children with sickle cell trait

A longitudinal study of the mental and physical development of 200 children with normal haemoglobin and 21 with the sickle-cell trait was carried out in a small rural community in Jamaica. At about 2 and 10 years of age heights and weights showed no significant differences. At about 10 years of age classroom behaviour, sociability, and educational achievement were similar. The results suggest that the sickle-cell trait does not affect growth and mental development.(Summary)

Intellectual levels of school children severely malnourished during the first two years of life

Intellectual functioning at school age was studied in boys who had been severely malnourished during the first 2 years of life (index cases). IQ in these index cases was compared with that of male siblings closest in age and unrelated class mates or neighbors matched for sex and age (comparisons). Full scale, verbal and performance IQs were lowest for the index cases. All IQ measures were significantly lower in the index cases than in the comparisons. full scale and verbal IQ were significantly lower in the index cases than in the siblings. Siblings differed from comparison children only in performance IQ. No association was found between the intellectual level of index cases and the ages at which they had been hospitalized for the treatment of severe malnutrition during the first 2 years of life. (AU)

School evaluation of children who were severely malnourished in infancy - abstract

Seventy-four Jamaican boys who were hospitalized with severe malnutrition during the first two years of life were studied between 6-10 years of age. For each of the index cases two comparison boys were selected, a classmate nearest in age to the index case and the sib was obtained from his teacher dealing with school performance and conduct. Teachers were told it was a study of child health and development. The index children were statistically significantly more backward than their classmate comparisons on overall rating of child's school work, grading on classroom subjects, frequency that child was considered generally backward in school work or mentally retarded, frequency of special problems in class work and memory. No significant differences were found between the sibs of the index cases and their classmate comparisons. The following difference were found in conduct. Index children compared with their classmates were less co-operative with the teacher, less able in getting along with other children, more frequently noted as having behaviour problems and "talks and makes suggestions less often" These differences were all statistically significant but no significant differences were found between sibs and their classmate comparisons. an analysis of the problems of the index child showed the most prevalent difficulty to be shyness and withdrawal rather than hyperactivity (AU)