Nash-wo-Numa (childhood growth & development) study protocol: factors that impact linear growth in children 9 to 15 years of age in Matiari, Pakistan

Susan C Campisi; Yaqub Wasan; Sajid Soofi; Suneeta Monga; Daphne J Korczak; Wendy Lou; Olle Soder; Ashley Vandermorris; Khadija N Humayun; Ayesha Mian; Peter Szatmari; Zulfiqar A Bhutta

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028343

Nash-wo-Numa (childhood growth & development) study protocol: factors that impact linear growth in children 9 to 15 years of age in Matiari, Pakistan

BMJ Open. 2019 Jun 12;9(6):e028343. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028343.

Authors

Susan C Campisi^{1

2}, Yaqub Wasan³, Sajid Soofi³, Suneeta Monga^{4

5}, Daphne J Korczak^{4

5}, Wendy Lou⁶, Olle Soder⁷, Ashley Vandermorris^{1

8}, Khadija N Humayun⁹, Ayesha Mian¹⁰, Peter Szatmari^{4

5

11}, Zulfiqar A Bhutta^{1

2

3

6}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Division of Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
⁴ Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁸ Division of Adolescent Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Paediatrics, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
¹⁰ Psychiatry, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
¹¹ Centre for Child and Youth Depression, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescence is a time of significant physical and emotional change, and there is emerging concern that adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) may face substantial challenges in relation to linear growth and mental health. Data on the global burden of stunting after 5 years of age are limited, but estimates suggest up to 50 per cent of all adolescents in some LMIC are stunted. Additionally, many LMIC lack robust mental health care delivery systems. Pakistan has one of the world's largest populations of adolescents (10 to 19 years) at approximately 40 million. The Nash-wo-Numa study's primary objective is to assess the prevalence and risk factors for stunting among early adolescents in rural Pakistan. The study also aims to determine the prevalence of poor mental health and identify factors associated with common mental health concerns during the childhood to adulthood transition.

Methods: This cross-sectional study will include girls (n= 738) 9.0 to 14.9 years of age and boys (n=687) 10.0 to 15.9 years of age who live in the rural district of Matiari, Pakistan. Participants will be assessed for anthropometrical measures, puberty development, nutritional biomarkers as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma using validated scales.

Ethics and dissemination: The proposed study aims to complete the picture of child and adolescent health concerning linear growth and mental health by including puberty indicators. Ethics approval has been granted by the Ethics Review Committee at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, #5251-WCH-ERC-18 and Research Ethics Board at SickKids Hospital, Toronto, Canada, #:1000060684. Study results will be presented at relevant conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number: NCT03647553; Pre-results.

Keywords: adolescents; anxiety; depression; puberty; stunting; undernutrition.

Publication types

Clinical Trial Protocol
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anthropometry
Child
Child Development*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Nutritional Status
Pakistan
Research Design
Rural Population
Sexual Maturation

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03647553