Poultry husbandry, water, sanitation, and hygiene practices, and child anthropometry in rural Burkina Faso

Abstract

Poultry production in low income countries provides households with nutrient‐rich meat and egg products, as well as cash income. However, traditional production systems present potential health and nutrition risks because poultry scavenging around household compounds may increase children's exposure to livestock‐related pathogens. Data from a cross‐sectional survey were analysed to examine associations between poultry, water, sanitation, and hygiene practices, and anthropometric indicators in children (6–59 months; n = 3,230) in Burkina Faso. Multilevel regression was used to account for the hierarchical nature of the data. The prevalence of stunting and wasting in children 6–24 months was 19% and 17%, respectively, compared with a prevalence of 26% and 6%, respectively, in children 25–60 months. Over 90% of households owned poultry, and chicken faeces were visible in 70% of compounds. Caregivers reported that 3% of children consumed eggs during a 24‐hr recall. The presence of poultry faeces was associated with poultry flock size, poultry‐husbandry and household hygiene practices. Having an improved water source and a child visibly clean was associated with higher height‐for‐age z scores (HAZ). The presence of chicken faeces was associated with lower weight‐for‐height z scores, and no associations were found with HAZ. Low levels of poultry flock size and poultry consumption in Burkina Faso suggest there is scope to expand production and improve diets in children, including increasing chicken and egg consumption. However, to minimize potential child health risks associated with expanding informal poultry production, research is required to understand the mechanisms through which cohabitation with poultry adversely affects child health and design interventions to minimize these risks.

Risk factors and transmission pathways associated with infant Campylobacter spp. prevalence and malnutrition: A formative study in rural Ethiopia

“…Studies have associated cohabiting with poultry with reduced length-for-age [53,77] and others have shown that infants who frequently test positive for Campylobacter have lower LAZ scores at 24 months of age, which had a stronger correlation with subclinical infection, or Campylobacter carriage [31,44]. Other studies have also demonstrated a relationship between poultry ownership and lower WAZ but not lower LAZ [53], suggesting both acute and chronic effects on health. Other significance lies in the overlap between wasting and stunting among infants in this group (p = 0.026), supporting evidence that the two forms of malnutrition can, and often do, coexist in the same infant [78], that they may share common causal factors of repeated carriage and/or infection [79].…”

“…Beyond six months of age critical developmental stages of weaning and crawling mean infection risk increases, [51] with obvious implications for short-and long-term growth and development. However, the evidence base describing the links between domestic animal ownership (particularly chickens), WASH facilities and use and infant nutritional status is limited to a few observational studies [27,[52][53][54][55], which have not consistently measured Campylobacter carriage and/or infection. There is insufficient evidence to fully describe the extent to which infection is caused by exposure to domestic animals in low-and middle-income countries, and furthermore, if infant nutritional status affects whether infection is clinical or subclinical.…”

“…Furthermore, research suggests that growth shortfalls resulting from early exposure to Campylobacter manifests later in infancy [31]. Studies have associated cohabiting with poultry with reduced length-for-age [53,77] and others have shown that infants who frequently test positive for Campylobacter have lower LAZ scores at 24 months of age, which had a stronger correlation with subclinical infection, or Campylobacter carriage [31,44]. Other studies have also demonstrated a relationship between poultry ownership and lower WAZ but not lower LAZ [53], suggesting both acute and chronic effects on health.…”

A Chicken Production Intervention and Additional Nutrition Behavior Change Component Increased Child Growth in Ethiopia: A Cluster-Randomized Trial

“…Although animal production could benefit nutrition, simultaneous increases in exposure to fecal contamination by animals may adversely affect child nutrition and health ( 20 , 23 , 24 ). This could be especially true in Ethiopia, where ∼48% of poultry producers keep their chickens indoors overnight ( 25 ).…”

How to design a complex behaviour change intervention: experiences from a nutrition-sensitive agriculture trial in rural India

“…Therefore, we chose not to focus on infection reduction, but did emphasise the importance of hand washing as a preventative measure, in relation to promoted agricultural practices, such as compost making and chicken farming. 37 The PLA intervention also found that seeking care from a nurse or doctor was not amenable to change, 5 and we were constrained by supply-side limitations in the quality of care, so we also deprioritised this pathway.…”