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Biomedical subjects

F E Viteri

Publications and source records attributed to F E Viteri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Fortification of sugar with iron sodium ethylenediaminotetraacetate (FeNaEDTA) improves iron status in semirural Guatemalan populations.

A 32-mo-long, double-blind field study involving one highland control community receiving only vitamin A-fortified sugar and three vitamin A- and FeNaEDTA-sugar-fortified communities, two in the lowlands and one in the highlands of Guatemala, was undertaken to test the effectiveness of this approach in controlling iron deficiency. The communities' population ranged between 1200 and 17000. Sugar fortified with 1 g FeNaEDTA and 15 mg retinol as retinyl palmitate/kg was stable, did not segregate, and was well accepted by the communities. The impact of fortification on iron nutrition was estimated at 8, 20, and 32 mo of intervention. All pregnant women and subjects with severe anemia received supplements or treatment and were excluded from the analysis. Iron stores in the fortified communities increased significantly except for women 18-48 y of age in one lowland community and > 49 y in the highland community. Iron stores in the control community remained unchanged except for a rise among adult males.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

True absorption and retention of supplemental iron is more efficient when iron is administered every three days rather than daily to iron-normal and iron-deficient rats.

Absorption of daily iron supplements is inefficient. Detailed absorption patterns of FeSO4 supplements simulating World Health Organization-recommended doses were studied in iron-deficient and iron-normal male Sprague-Dawley rats. For 12 d after weaning, the rats were fed a premeal containing < 20 (iron-deficient group) or 400 micrograms Fe (iron-normal group) twice daily followed by iron-free AIN-76 diet for 1 h. Then, both groups (iron-deficient and -normal) were divided in three groups, one continuing without change and two receiving 4000 micrograms of premeal Fe either daily or every 3 d to match intestinal mucosa renewal time. Food intake, growth, hemoglobin concentration and periodic 59Fe-labeled iron absorption and rate of loss were determined. Iron-deficient rats became anemic, and ate and grew less. Iron absorption was stable in normal (34.2%), deficient (89.7%) and normal, intermittently supplemented (9.5%) groups. Absorption decreased logarithmically in daily supplemented rats, whereas in iron-deficient, intermittently supplemented rats absorption decreased slowly and linearly. Rates of iron loss were significantly accelerated in daily supplemented rats. Thirteen-day total iron retention in intermittently supplemented normal and deficient rats was 62 and 86%, respectively, of that of daily supplemented rats. Iron supplementation timed to match mucosal renewal is more efficient.

Absorption↗
PubMed1995

Intracultural diversity and the sociocultural correlates of blood pressure: a Jamaican example.

Attention to intracultural diversity in anthropological research has increased, but the implications of that diversity for research design and data analysis in medical anthropology have not proceeded as far. An examination of diversity and its use in guiding data analyses is given here, based on the study of blood pressure and its social and psychological correlates. It is argued that in the specific ethnographic setting of a small West Indian town, social class structures the diversity of the meanings of beliefs and behaviors. Diversity of meanings, in turn, alters the associations of those beliefs and behaviours with blood pressure. Data analyses guided by this orientation demonstrate that the social patterning of blood pressure varies between and within social class. Specifically, it is shown that one model of social and psychological influences on blood pressure applies only to middle-class persons in a small Jamaican community and not to lower-class persons. Medical anthropologists need to be more sensitive to the range of intracultural diversity and to how that diversity can influence the results of research.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Influence of exercise on linear growth.

The effects of exercise on linear growth were investigated in malnourished rats and in preschool children recovering from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Physical activity was either restricted or forced upon weanling rats that were pair-fed with 73 or 49% of the food eaten ad libitum by rats of the same age. Physically active animals grew more in length and weight than their inactive counterparts. In a subsequent study, 20 children, 24-48 months old, under treatment for severe PEM, were assigned to either an Active group (stimulated, but not forced, to participate in games and activities that involved walking uphill, climbing a ramp, running, tumbling and climbing stairs) or a Control group (with the ad libitum pattern of physical activity and rest commonly observed in child-care and nutrition rehabilitation centers). Dietary intake was controlled and almost identical in both groups (2.5 +/- 0.07 g protein and 117 +/- 7 kcal/kg/day). Mean energy expenditure during daytime, assessed by heart rate monitoring and its relationship with oxygen consumption, were 2.0 and 1.7 times basal metabolic rate in the Active and Control groups, respectively (P < 0.01). In 6 weeks, both groups gained an average of 1.98 kg. However, the Active group grew more in length (22 +/- 8 vs 14 +/- 6 mm, P < 0.05) and lean body mass (final creatinine-height index: 0.97 +/- 0.12 vs 0.89 +/- 0.09, P < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Social factors mediating social class differences in blood pressure in a Jamaican community.

Research on the factors mediating social class differences in blood pressure was carried out in a Jamaican community. It was found in a previous report that higher social class is related to lower blood pressure for females, while for males higher social class is related to higher blood pressure. These differences are examined in greater detail here, especially in terms of the historical context of the specific community studied, which is on the fringe of the Kingston urban area, and in terms of the continuing importance of a social class system established under colonial rule. In the current study it is shown that social class differences in blood pressure for males are mediated by perceptions of social support. Social class differences in blood pressure for females are mediated by perceptions of economic stress. It is suggested that specific patterns of the growth of the city, and the historically-based social class system, have resulted in the juxtaposition of lower and middle class Jamaicans within this community, who in turn are influenced by different factors affecting blood pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Demographic and economic factors associated with dietary quality for adults in the 1987-88 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey.

Data for 5,884 adults (19 years of age and older) who participated in the 1987-88 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (1987-88 NFCS) were used to investigate demographic and economic factors associated with dietary quality. Although the low response rate for the 1987-88 NFCS has raised concerns about possible bias, it is appropriate to use this extensive data set for analyses that do not attempt to generalize the results to the US population as a whole. Two aspects of quality were calculated for the mean of the 3-day reported intakes: number of nutrients below two thirds of the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) (low-intake nutrients) and percent of energy from fat. Few adults reported mean intakes that met suggested guidelines: 22% of diets were above two thirds of the RDA for all 15 nutrients and 14% were below 30% fat, but only 2% met both criteria. Energy intake was a strong negative predictor of number of low-intake nutrients and a weak positive predictor of percent of energy from fat. Results of multivariate regression analyses identified few demographic or economic predictors of either the number of low-intake nutrients or percent of energy from fat. According to these data, diets of most adults do not conform to current dietary guidelines. Nutrition education efforts should be directed to all adults, and research should be undertaken to determine more effective ways to help adults improve their overall dietary quality.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Social and dietary predictors of serum lipids: a Brazilian example.

The importance of an unfavorable profile of serum lipids in the atherosclerotic process has been unequivocally established, but the determinants of serum lipids remain a source of controversy. This controversy includes both the importance of diet as a precursor of an unfavorable lipid profile, and the potential importance of social and psychological factors in determining lipid values. These questions were addressed in a study of serum lipids in urban Brazil. It was found that both dietary and social-psychological factors were associated with total serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum triglycerides. This exploratory study highlights the importance of the careful measurement of dietary intake, and the inclusion of theoretically relevant social and psychological variables, in any study of serum lipids.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Comparative research in social epidemiology: measurement issues.

The aim of comparative research in social epidemiology is to determine how risk factors for disease may vary within and between sociocultural and ethnic groups and in relation to outcomes. This aim assumes that measurement equivalence within and between social groups can be established, an assumption usually left untested. A model is presented here for deriving cross-culturally valid measures that are also intraculturally sensitive. Measurements so derived can then be used to compare cross-cultural and intracultural effects in a single analytic model. This approach is illustrated by pooling data on social stressors, social supports, and blood pressure from three studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Blood pressure and social class in a Jamaican community.

A study of social factors and blood pressure was conducted in a Jamaican community among a sample of 199 persons ages 30 to 50. After controlling for obesity, age, and respondent tension (and other covariates), interaction effects of social class x sex for systolic and diastolic blood pressure were found. Blood pressure increased with increasing social class for males and decreased with increasing social class for females.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Arterial blood pressure and individual modernization in a Mexican community.

The relationship between changes in individual behavior and arterial blood pressure was studied in a town in central Mexico. Two models relating modern behaviors and blood pressure were examined. The first, or 'accretion model' suggests that any adoption of modern behaviors results in stress and deleterious health change. The second, or 'discrepancy model', suggests that the adoption of modern behaviors is problematic only when the individual has limited access to economic resources. Empirical support for both models was found, but the best predictor of blood pressure was a single index of modern lifestyle, including acquisition of material culture and engaging in cosmopolitan behaviors. The effect of modern lifestyle on blood pressure was independent of the effects of age, sex, sodium intake, and body mass index. Overall the results are consistent with a model in which degree of community modernization, especially as it influences social class structure, is a boundary condition determining the relationship between the adoption of modern behaviors and health status.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Iron deficiency and behavioral development in infants and preschool children.

This paper selectively reviews the main findings of studies on the possible effects of iron deficiency on cognitive function among infants and preschool children published after 1976, and presents data from a study recently conducted in rural Guatemala. In comparison to infants without signs of sideropenia, infants with iron deficiency with and without anemia tend to score lower in the Bayley Scale of Mental Development; conversely, there is no evidence for an association between iron deficiency and delayed motor development. Iron repletion therapy implemented over a period of 7 to 10 days is likely to result in an improvement in mental development scale scores among infants with iron deficiency with or without anemia. In comparison with preschool children without sideropenia, preschool children with iron deficiency with or without anemia are less likely to pay attention to relevant cues in problem solving situations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1986

Energy supplementation and productivity of Guatemalan sugar-cane cutters: a longitudinal approach.

A long-term energy supplementation program was carried out to determine its effect on the productivity of agricultural workers in Guatemala. The program provided, free of charge, a low-energy (24 Kcal) and a high-energy (350 Kcal) bottled, orange-flavored soft drink to two groups of long-term resident sugar-cane cutters who worked on the same plantation, located in the Pacific Coast. Previous to, and periodically thereafter during implementation of the program, data relative to energy intake and anthropometry were collected. Through data obtained from payroll lists, a longitudinal series of average productivity (tons of sugar cane cut and loaded per day) covering 48 weeks of pre-supplementation, 90 weeks of supplementation and 21 weeks post-supplementation, was constructed. Control of the supplement consumption was daily observed. Random assignment of workers to the high-energy supplement (HES) and the low-energy (LES) groups, was not possible. Prior to supplementation both groups presented the same characteristics in terms of age, energy intake level, weight, height, tricipital adiposity and daily productivity. Little variation was found throughout the time the supplement was consumed by the HES Group. Energy intake of workers increased significantly in absolute terms in relation to the LES Group, except towards the end of the 28 months' supplementation period. Energy balance was maintained by workers throughout the study period. A time series of the difference in mean productivity of the two supplement groups (Yt) was modeled using the ARIMA techniques. No auto-regressive term was present in the Yt series. The ARIMA (0,0,1) model was fitted and expanded with different intervention components. None of the estimated parameters of the intervention components were statistically significant. It was therefore concluded that no abrupt, or gradual and sustained energy supplementation effect on productivity was present.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Abnormal behavior and low developmental test scores in iron-deficient anemic infants.

The relationship between abnormal behavior and poor developmental test performance was analyzed in 68 6- to 24-month-old Guatemalan babies with and without mild iron deficiency anemia. Regardless of age, the 10 anemic infants with abnormal affective responses during developmental testing had very low mental scores (mean = 65.7 +/- 5.2 SEM), while the 18 with normal affect had mental scores (mean = 97.1 +/- 4.5 SEM) which were normal by U.S. standards and comparable to the nonanemic group's scores. Five anemic infants with pervasive behavioral disturbance, who showed abnormal orientation to tasks in addition to disturbed affect, did poorly on the motor test (mean = 59.8 +/- 6.2 SEM). Those anemic infants who were normal in task orientation achieved motor scores similar to those of the nonanemic control group. The observed behavioral disturbances are consistent with biochemical evidence concerning the role of iron in the metabolism of central nervous system neurotransmitters which influence affect and arousal. These results suggest that poor mental developmental test performance in infants with iron deficiency anemia may be mediated by disturbances in affective behavior.

Affect↗