Pesticide Exposure and Stunting among Children in Agricultural Areas
The prevalence of growth disorders among school-aged children in Indonesia is high (30.7%). Pesticides have been massively used in Indonesian agricultural areas. To determine if exposure to pesticides is associated with stunting among children in agricultural areas. This case-control study included...
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Published in | international journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 17 - 29 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Iran
Shiraz: NIOC Health Organization
01.01.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The prevalence of growth disorders among school-aged children in Indonesia is high (30.7%). Pesticides have been massively used in Indonesian agricultural areas.
To determine if exposure to pesticides is associated with stunting among children in agricultural areas.
This case-control study included 160 children (48 cases and 112 controls) aged 8-12 years. Exposure to pesticides was measured based on the history of the exposure since perinatal period, infancy, and childhood of the participants. Stunting was determined as a height for age z-score (HAZ) < ‑2 SD. Other variables measured were levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), hemoglobin, zinc, albumin, nutrient adequacy level (energy and protein), and history of infection, low-birth weight (LBW), and mother's height.
There were no significant difference between the cases and controls in terms of in the baseline characteristics, except for the median IGF-1 level; it was significantly (p<0.001) lower in the cases (66.73 ng/mL) than the controls (112.57 ng/mL). High level of pesticide exposure (p=0.029) and low IGF-1 levels (p<0.001) were significantly associated with stunting. After adjusting for confounding variables, these variables were found to be independent risk factors for stunting in children (aOR 3.90, 95% CI 1.15 to 13.26; and aOR 8.35, 95% CI 3.65 to 19.14, respectively).
Pesticide exposure could be a risk factor for the occurrence of growth disorders in children living in agricultural areas. Necessary actions should be taken to protect children living in agricultural areas from exposure to pesticides. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2008-6520 2008-6814 2008-6814 |
DOI: | 10.15171/ijoem.2019.1428 |