Prevalence of Children at Risk of Failure to Thrive Among Rural vs. Urban Michigan Counties
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Rural communities face unique social and environmental factors that have the ability to increase a child’s risk of poor nutrition and development of FTT. The purpose of this study was to examine growth and anemia indicators among children residing in Michigan and to investigate whether differences exist among urban and rural counties. The researcher hypothesized that Michigan’s rural counties would demonstrate a higher prevalence of low birthweight, anemia, short stature and underweight rates than urban counties. SUBJECTS: Eighty-one Michigan counties were included in the data set. METHODS AND ANALYSES: Statistical analyses (ANCOVA and weighted ordinary least-squares regression) were based on data from Michigan’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). The “2016 Comparison of Growth and Anemia Indicators by County for Children Aged <5 Years” report was analyzed. Counties were separated by rural-urban status as classified by the US Census Bureau 2010 Census. RESULTS: Using ANCOVA, the researcher found insufficient evidence of significant differences between urban and rural Michigan counties for all outcome measures. Using weighted ordinary least-squares regression analysis, the researcher found significant statistical differences in mean percent births with low weight (<0.001), mean percent children with anemia (0.0003), and mean percent children short in stature (0.0058). Urban counties demonstrated a higher prevalence of each outcome measure. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that efforts to reduce risk factors influenced by geographic location may be important as a means of promoting healthy birth weight, anemia markers, and stature in children. It may be important to study populations with variable income to understand these relationships more clearly.
Prevalence of Children at Risk of Failure to Thrive Among Rural vs. Urban Michigan Counties
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Rural communities face unique social and environmental factors that have the ability to increase a child’s risk of poor nutrition and development of FTT. The purpose of this study was to examine growth and anemia indicators among children residing in Michigan and to investigate whether differences exist among urban and rural counties. The researcher hypothesized that Michigan’s rural counties would demonstrate a higher prevalence of low birthweight, anemia, short stature and underweight rates than urban counties. SUBJECTS: Eighty-one Michigan counties were included in the data set. METHODS AND ANALYSES: Statistical analyses (ANCOVA and weighted ordinary least-squares regression) were based on data from Michigan’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). The “2016 Comparison of Growth and Anemia Indicators by County for Children Aged <5 >Years” report was analyzed. Counties were separated by rural-urban status as classified by the US Census Bureau 2010 Census. RESULTS: Using ANCOVA, the researcher found insufficient evidence of significant differences between urban and rural Michigan counties for all outcome measures. Using weighted ordinary least-squares regression analysis, the researcher found significant statistical differences in mean percent births with low weight (<0.001), mean percent children with anemia (0.0003), and mean percent children short in stature (0.0058). Urban counties demonstrated a higher prevalence of each outcome measure. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that efforts to reduce risk factors influenced by geographic location may be important as a means of promoting healthy birth weight, anemia markers, and stature in children. It may be important to study populations with variable income to understand these relationships more clearly.