Browsing by Author "Boivin, Michael"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Caregiver socioemotional health as a determinant of child well-being in school-aged and adolescent Ugandan children with and without perinatal HIV exposure
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2019) Webster, Kyle; Bruyn, Miko; Zalwango, Sarah; Sikorskii, Alla; Barkin, Jennifer; Familiar-Lopez, Itziar; Musoke, Philippa; Giordani, Bruno; Boivin, Michael; Ezeamama, Amara E.
    Caregiver socio-emotional attributes are major determinants of child well-being. This investigation in vulnerable school-aged Ugandan children estimates relationships between children’s well-being and their caregiver’s anxiety, depression and social support. methods Perinatally HIV-infected, HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed Ugandan children and their caregivers were enrolled. Perinatal HIV status was determined by 18 months of age using DNA-polymerase chain-reaction test; status was confirmed via HIV rapid diagnostic test when children were 6–18 years old. Five indicators of child well-being (distress, hopelessness, positive future orientation, esteem and quality of life (QOL)) and caregivers’ socioemotional status (depressive symptoms, anxiety and social support) were measured using validated, culturally adapted and translated instruments. Categories based on tertiles of each caregiver psychosocial indicator were defined. Linear regression analyses estimated percent differences (b) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for child well-being in relation to caregiver’s psychosocial status results As per tertile increment, caregiver anxiety was associated with 2.7% higher distress (95% CI:0.2%, 5.3%) and lower self esteem/QOL (b = 1.3%/ 2.6%; 95%CI: 5.0%,-0.2%) in their children. Child distress/hopelessness increased (b = 3.3%/7.6%; 95%CI:0.4%, 14.7%) and self-esteem/QOL decreased 2.3% (b = 2.3%/ 4.4%; 95%CI: 7.2%, 1.3%) as per tertile increment in caregiver depression. Higher caregiver social support was associated with lower distress and higher positive outlook (b = 3%; 95%CI:1.4%, 4.5%) in their children. HIV-infected/exposed children had most caregiver depression-related QOL deficit (b = 5.2%/ 6.8%; 95%CI: 12.4%, 0.2%) and HIV-unexposed children had most caregiver social support-related enhancements in positive outlook (b=4.5%; 95%CI:1.9%, 7.1%). conclusions Caregiver anxiety, depressive symptoms and low social support were associated with worse well-being in school-aged and adolescent children. Improvement of caregiver mental health and strengthening caregiver social support systems may be a viable strategy for improving well-being of vulnerable children and adolescents in this setting.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Serum n-6 Fatty Acids are Positively Associated with Growth in 6-to-10-Year Old Ugandan Children Regardless of HIV Status—A Cross-Sectional Study
    (Licensee MDPI, 2019) Jain, Raghav; Ezeamama, Amara; Sikorskii, Alla; Yakah, William; Zalwango, Sarah; Musoke, Philippa; Boivin, Michael; Fenton, Jenifer
    Fatty acids (FAs) are crucial in child growth and development. In Uganda, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has drastically reduced perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of infants, however, the interplay of FAs, ART, and HIV in relation to child growth is not well understood. To investigate this, serum was collected from 240 children between 6–10 years old in Uganda and analyzed for FAs using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry. HIV status and anthropometric measurements were taken, and relationships with FAs were assessed. No significant differences in growth parameters or serum FAs were found between HIV uninfected children with and without exposure to ART. HIV positive children had significantly lower height-for-age-z-scores (HAZ) than uninfected children (p < 0.001). HIV-positive children had higher arachidonic acid than uninfected children (p = 0.003). Total omega-6 FAs were significantly associated with HAZ regardless of HIV status (p = 0.035). Mean total omega-3 FAs (2.90%) were low in this population compared to other cohorts in Africa. These results provide reference serum FA values for 6–10-year-old children in Uganda and may be used to inform lipid supplementation programs to promote child growth. Future studies should investigate the relationships between child growth trajectories in relation to HIV status and serum FAs.