Latest News From BaanGerda
New Research Study into Children’s Nutrition
Posted by Mike Thomas on 17th December 2007
A new study is being carried out to asses the nutritional status of HIV-infected children. It is known as the TACHIN Project and is a collaboration between the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, the institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University (Bangkok), and the Albion Street Centre in Australia.
Children living with HIV are at a higher risk of malnutrition because of the effects of the virus on their immune system and the side-effects of the ARV treatment. The research team have spent four days at BaanGerda collecting data on the children and their diet. The initial results show that 50% are underdeveloped through stunted growth or underweight.
The first phase of the study will include the team returning to BaanGerda in a few weeks to offer advice and suggestions on improving the diet. Assessments will then be carried out after three and six months.
BaanGerda is one of the few places that have a large number of HIV-infected children with comprehensive medical and growth records. Very little research has been done in this area so far and it is hoped that, apart from improving the health of the children, it will also be of benefit to other organisations and medical professionals around the world.
Nutritionist Supabhorn Pengnonyang from the TACHIN project “To achieve the goal of promoting growth in children, every stakeholder especially those closely related to them must be responsible. Community can learn and find out the right and practical way for themselves. We do hope the outcomes will be sustainable and, importantly, will be applicable to other communities.”
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