Health Care : Current Reviews

Children′s health condition in the southern rural Lao PDR: A three-year longitudinal study in seven villages

10^th Asia Pacific Global Summit on Healthcare

March 12-14, 2018 Singapore

Junko Okumura

Nagasaki University, Japan

Keynote: Health Care Current Reviews

Abstract:

Background and aims: Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) initiated by Moji group revealed that infant mortality rate in Xepon area was 65/1000 live births in 2012. This was much higher than the national average in Lao PDR. In order to promote child health where people�??s access to health care services were poor, i.e., Xepon district, we have been conducting a longitudinal study since 2013. Methods: We collected data on illness episode of under five year children in seven villages. After baseline data collection, village health volunteers (VHV) visited the target household every two weeks. VHVs and data collector asked a series of questions on illness related issues. Newborn children were added to the cohort. In addition, anthropometric data have been collected in collaboration with the local MCH office. Results: Altogether we followed 382,109 person days of 422 children from June 2014 through July 2017. The mean age of children at the end of the study was 4.9 years (95% CI: 4.7-5.2 yrs). The observed total sick days during the study period was 2,804 days. The mean illness duration in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd were 7.3 days, 6.4 days and 5.7 days. Major symptom was fever, cough, and diarrhea. According to health center and hospital records in the catchment area, significantly more malaria cases were reported in 2014 than the other years. Stunting was another background problem which may influence on children�??s health in the area and vice versa. Median of z-score of height for age in each village never showed positive score, i.e., the range was -3.67 z-score and -1.36 z-score. Conclusions: The factors associated to child health will be discussed such as nutrition, health seeking behavior, access to health care services, disease epidemic and so on. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by JPSS KAKENHI GRANT Number 25300015. Recent Publications 1. Kounnavong S, Sunahara T, Hshizume M, Okumura J, Moji K, Boupha B, Yamamoto T (2011) Anemia and related factors in preschool children in the southern rural Lao PDR. Trop Med & Hlth 39 (4): 95 -103. 2. Kounnavong S, Sunahara T, Mascie-Taylar CGN, Hshizume M, Okumura J, Moji K et al. (2011) Effect of daily vs. weekly home fortification with multiple micronutrient powder on haemoglobin concentration of young children in a rural area, Lao PDR. Nutrition Journal 10/129/2011 (published online).

Biography :

Her experiences as a clinical pharmacist in Japan and some developing countries motivated her to study public health. She was awarded MPH from University of Michigan in 1995, PhD from Tokyo University in 1999. Then as a faculty staff, she worked at The University of Tokyo (2000-2005), and at Kanazawa University (2005-2009) until get the current position at Nagasaki University.
Email:jokumura@nagasaki-u.ac.jp