Aflatoxin exposure and its association with stunting among young children in Butajira district, South-Cental Ethiopia
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Date
2018-10
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
Background: Aflatoxins are one family of mycotoxins, which are a naturally occurring
toxic by-product. Aflatoxin M1 is the major metabolite product of aflatoxin B1, which is
excreted in urine of mammals and gives a reliable indication of recent (24-72 hours)
exposure to aflatoxin. Recent evidences suggest several mechanisms through which
aflatoxin can impair growth & development. Despite the high prevalence of stunting in
Ethiopia, there is no well-established evidence showing individual aflatoxin exposure and
its association with stunting in young children
Objective: The study assessed aflatoxin exposure and its association with stunting among
young children aged 12 to 59 month in Butajira district.
Method: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Health and
Demographic Surveillance Site, Butajira. We used stratified simple random sampling
technique to select the study participants. The study included, 332 children aged 12-59
month. The data were collected in the form of questionnaire, height/length measurement
and urine samples collection. Aflatoxin M1 analysis was performed by Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at Ethiopian Public Health Institute laboratory. The data
analysis was carried out using STATA and WHO Antro plus. Multiple logistic regression
was used to see the association between stunting and aflatoxin exposure level by
adjusting for possible confounders.
Results: The mean age of children participated in the study was 39+10.9 month. About
62% of the children were exposed to aflatoxin M1 in their urine, at a level ranging from
0.15ng/ml to 0.4ng/ml. Sixty point nine percent (60.9%) of the study participants were
stunted. Children with detectable aflatoxin M1 in their urine at a level of 0.4ng/ml were
1.9 times (95% CI: 0.79, 4.46) more likely to develop stunting than those who were not
exposed, even though this association was not significant at p-value <0.05 and 95% CI.
Conclusion and Recommendation: The study showed a high prevalence of aflatoxin
exposure in the study area. This indicates that strategies and regulations focusing mainly
on crop management system and food safety measures need to be revised in order to take
in to account the measures for control of aflatoxin exposure.
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Keywords
aflatoxin M1, cross-sectional study, ELISA, stunting