A Pilot Study On Feeding And Malnutrition Status Of Infants Born To HIV-positive Mothers In High HIV Prevalence Areas Of

Background Along with the success of preventing mother to child transmission of HIV in Yunnan province, more and more HIV affected pregnant women chose to delivery. If infants born to HIV positive mothers are more prone to malnutrition than other normal infants is worth to focus on.Objectives To understand malnutrition status and its influencing factors of infants born to HIV-positive mothers, so as to supply references for making up nutritional intervention of children born to HIV-positive mothers.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted,300infants aged0-36months born to HTV positive mothers were sampled in explosion group while300infants aged0-36months born to non-HIV positive mothers in the same areas were chosen in control group,A questionnaire survey was conducted to infants care takers, the heights, weights, head circumference and Hemoglobin of infants were measured.Results (1) All the infants in explosion group were with formula feeding while most of the infants in control group were with breast feeding. The complementary feeding percentage was nearly100%when the infants were over6months old in both groups. The main supplementary foods were rice and vegetables, but few bean and liver to infants. There is still nearly20%of the infants never eat liver and blood when they were over12months old in both groups. The frequency of feeding eggs and livers in control group were higher than in the explosion group.(2)24-hour dietary recalls indicated that infants in both explosion group and control group,the deficiency of energy taking accounted for50.0%and52.7%respectively, the deficiency of protein taking accounted for38.0%and37.0%respectively. The deficiency rate of energy and protein in explosion group was lower than in the control group in6-age group. The main deficiency of nutrients in both groups were Zinc (over50%) and fat (nearly50%), the followed were Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C (nearly30%-40%), the Zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin D deficiency rate in explosion group were higher than those in control group while the Iron deficiency rate was lower than in control group.(3) The average birth heights and birth weights of infants in explosion group were lower than those of the infants in control group, and the under-weight rate of infants in explosion group was obviously lower than in control group before half year old, but the weight gained obviously after half year old.(4) The prevalence rates of stunning and under-weight in explosion group were (21.33%and18.67%respectively) higher than those in control group (12.67%and7.33%) respectively, the prevalence rates of wasting and anemia of infants in explosion group and control group were6.00%,14.3%and5.67%,18.30%respectively.(5) Non-conditional multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that lower birth weight, lower mother’s educational level, few antenatal care and few frequency of feeding eggs were indepent risk factors to infants stunning in explosion group while lower birth weight, lower mother’s educational level, and few frequency of feeding liver were risk factors to infants stunning in control group. Lower birth weight, lower mother’s educational level were risk factors to infants stunning.Conclusion (1) The infants complementary food feeding is single in high HIV prevalence areas of Yunnan Province. Infants born to HIV positive mothers eat less eggs and liver than the infants in control group, the deficiency rates of Zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin D of infants born to HIV positive mothers was obviously higher than the infants in control group.(2) Infants born to HIV positive mothers has higher low birth rate than infants in control group. Although the under-weight rate was higher before half year old. the under-weight status was improved obviously after half year old.(3) Malnutrition was correlated to low birth weight, mother’s educational level and deficiency nutrients intake, It’s urgent to strengthen antenatal care to reduce the premature and low birth weight occurrence, strengthen guidance of feeding infants and supply nutritional food to infants while necessary.