Sakorn Dhanamitta

Sustaining behavioural change to enhance micronutrient status through community- and women-based interventions in north-east Thailand: Vitamin A.

This project was designed as a follow-up of the Social Marketing of Vitamin A–Rich Food (SM/VAF) Project in north-east Thailand. It began in 1996 to determine whether the positive changes indicated at the end of the prior project were sustained in the intervention district and to develop a process to foster the changes achieved from the earlier effort. After one year of implementation, the results showed cumulative improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and practice with respect to intake of vitamin A and fat. A sustained improvement in the consumption of vitamin A–rich foods and fat towards fulfilment of the recommended dietary allowance was clearly demonstrated among pre-school children. During the current project, serum retinol levels among schoolgirls (10–13 years of age) improved from 22.75 ± 6.96 to 33.69 ± 8.25 μg/dl in the intervention group (p < .001), while no significant change was observed in the control group. the difference between intervention and control areas in the change in serum retinol before and after project implementation was highly significant (10.94 ± 9.09 and 3.24 ± 9.14, p < .0001).

Participatory action for nutrition education: Social marketing vitamin a‐rich foods in Thailand

This paper reflects a major concern of nutrition and health educators in the developing world today, namely, how to formulate and implement participatory nutrition intervention programs with community members and key government officials who may come from a number of different development sectors. Through the description of a project entitled “Social Marketing of Vitamin A‐Rich Foods,” the paper highlights the value of a two‐way concept of nutrition communication and problem‐solving which is put in operation by establishing mechanisms for working with both institutional and community groups. This entails calling upon such conceptual frameworks as behavior analysis, nutritional anthropology, media advocacy and social marketing as means for working with collaborators in a decentralized, nondirective fashion. The paper also illustrates how mass media and printed nutrition education materials can potentially support broad institutional and community development processes as well as providing a guideline of re...

Child Health and Nutritional Status in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: A Preliminary Assessment

Over 85% of Mongolias foreign trade and development aid, which formerly came from the USSR, have abruptly ceased causing shortfalls in almost all sectors. The UNICEF Mongolia Country Program and the East Asia and Pacific Regional Of fice (UNICEF/EAPRO) realized that Mongolian children are likely to suffer the most as reduced income and food availability aggravate problems associated with malnutrition. Hence, from 16 June-7 July 1992, a team from the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University, Thailand, collaborated with local UNICEF personnel and government health of ficials in designing and initiating the 1992 Mongolian Child Nutrition Survey. This paper presents the preliminary survey data of 342 randomly selected children aged 0-48 months in Ulaanbaatar. Results indicate that the four major health and nutrition problems are protein energy malnutrition (PEM), iodine deficiency disorders, vitamin D deficiency, and an unusually high rate of acute respiratory infections. Also requiring more in-depth study are low birth weight, iron deficiency anemia and vitamin A deficiency.

Tamm Horsfall Mucoprotein in Urine of Potential Bladder Stone Formers

The excretion rate of Tamm Horsfall mucoprotein was determined in normal and endemic boys. This latter group of boys showed presumptive signs of bladder stone, which include oxalate crystalluria, and difficult and sometimes painful voiding. At least 2 distinct forms of this mucoprotein are present in the urine. Semiquantitatively, there was no apparent difference in the excretion rate of this mucoprotein between the 2 groups of boys. The kidney function of these 2 groups was comparable and within the normal range. Furthermore, the presence of 5 mg. per cent of this mucoprotein in the solution of calcium and oxalate did not increase the ability of the solution to form more calcium oxalate precipitate nor did it induce precipitation of calcium oxalate from the dilute solution. We conclude that Tamm Horsfall mucoprotein may not have a role in the formation of oxalate crystalluria or bladder stone.

Bilateral Ptosis as a Sign of Thiamine Deficiency in Childhood Response to Corrective Therapy is Rapid

ment, called &dquo;wet type.&dquo; Juvenile beriberi is seen in older children who have consumed almost nothing except rice. Characteristic symptoms of juvenile beriberi appear mainly in the brain and peripheral nerves. Nasal voice, hoarseness, difficulty of hearing, ptosis, strabismus, and nystagmus are expressions of cerebral nerve involvement. Calf pain, gait difficulty, and abnormal deep tendon reflexes are seen as signs of peripheral neuritis. Dilatation and edema of the heart are said to be relatively rare in juvenile beriberi5; however, Pongpanich et al.11 recently reported cardiac beriberi in three children. Older children suf-

Improvement of dietary density by the use of germinated cereals and legumes.

The feasibility of using germinated seeds to reduce the high viscosity of cereal- and legume-based weaning foods developed by the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University was investigated. the amylase-rich food (ARF) products were developed from cereals (rice, glutinous rice, and maize) and legumes (mung bean, black bean, soya bean, red kidney bean, and groundnut). the activities of α- and β-amylase were determined. the results showed that the germination processes were standardized by a four-day germination period for cereous cereal- and legume-based weaning foods.

Studies of Bladder Stone Disease in Thailand

Studies of urinary mucoproteins were carried out in newborn and infants of hyper-(village) and hypo-endemic (city) areas in North-east Thailand. The findings are as follows: (1) Village newborn excret

Differences in hair roots among children with differing nutritional status and of different ethnic origins. Clinical investigators should first establish their own normal standards for each ethnic group being studied.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, Thailand. THE RAPID hair root examination as proposed by Bradfield for field assessment of protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) appears to be simple, practical and suitable for developing countries. 1,2 Since PCM in Thailand is a major public health problem due to poverty and food habits,~ we explored whether the standards for optimal hair bulb diameter and for different body types can be applied to Thai children, and whether these standards may also be used to separate those with adequate from those with poor dietary protein and caloric intake. Comparisons were made to determine if there might be a natural difference in hair bulb in diameter between white American and Thai children since the hairs