Department of Social Medicine, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA.
Am J Hum Biol. 2009 Nov-Dec;21(6):844-51. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.20902.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is creating a generation of orphaned children in Africa. The number of orphans will continue to increase long after the HIV/AIDS crisis has peaked; therefore, it is important to determine how best to assist these children. Current studies investigating the impact of orphanhood have conflicting results and conclusions. Several studies report that orphans are at a disadvantage and are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, whereas other studies report no difference between the nutritional status of orphans and nonorphans. Four hundred eleven Luo children (mean age 9 +/- 1 years) were recruited to participate in a study investigating the impact of orphanhood on nutritional status. Participants underwent an interview, anthropometric measurements, testing for anemia, a clinical history, and a physical exam. Anthropometric variables and hemoglobin level were compared across groups using a t-test. The reference population used for comparison of anthropometric variables is the 2000 CDC growth reference data. All analyses were gender specific, and the effect of length of orphanhood was also investigated. The data presented here suggest that there is no significant difference between the nutritional status of orphaned and nonorphaned Luo children. This study supports research indicating there is little, if any, difference in nutritional indicators between orphans and nonorphans. Orphans may live in households with higher socioeconomic statuses than nonorphans. Luo orphans may not be at higher risk for poor nutritional status than nonorphans; therefore, interventions targeted at this age group should include both orphaned and nonorphaned children.
艾滋病在非洲造成了一代孤儿。即使艾滋病危机达到顶峰后，孤儿的数量仍将继续增加；因此，确定如何最好地帮助这些儿童至关重要。目前，研究孤儿问题的影响的结果和结论相互矛盾。一些研究报告称，孤儿处于不利地位，更容易遭受营养不良，而其他研究则报告说，孤儿和非孤儿的营养状况没有差异。411 名 Luo 儿童（平均年龄 9 +/- 1 岁）被招募参与一项研究，调查孤儿对营养状况的影响。参与者接受了访谈、人体测量学测量、贫血测试、临床病史和身体检查。使用 t 检验比较组间的人体测量学变量和血红蛋白水平。用于比较人体测量学变量的参考人群是 2000 年 CDC 生长参考数据。所有分析都是按性别进行的，还研究了孤儿期的长短的影响。这里提供的数据表明，孤儿和非孤儿 Luo 儿童的营养状况没有显著差异。这项研究支持表明孤儿和非孤儿在营养指标方面几乎没有差异的研究。孤儿可能生活在社会经济地位比非孤儿更高的家庭中。Luo 孤儿营养不良的风险可能不比非孤儿高；因此，针对这一年龄组的干预措施应包括孤儿和非孤儿。
