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It is not known to what extent food insecurity may underlie the continued high rates of maternal to child transmission of HIV and AIDS (MTCT) in sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases of pediatric HIV and AIDS are reported to occur. However, a number of plausible conceptual models and a growing evidence base drawn from both qualitative and empirical studies suggest that food insecurity contributes significantly to the epidemic of pediatric HIV infection. Specifically, food insecurity puts women at risk of HIV infection and weakens the ability of infected women and the health systems to which they may have access to prevent secondary infection of their children. Applied anthropologists have played a role in understanding some of the pathways through which food insecurity mediates biological and social risks of maternal to child transmission of HIV and AIDS. Efforts to understand and address the biocultural pathways through which food insecurity increases transmission of HIV from mothers to children can raise awareness of the importance of food and nutrition security among policy makers and program planners. Applied research on food insecurity by anthropologists can inform communities and contribute to the design of improved programs to prevent of MTCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Community-based cross-sectional analysis of the relation between symptoms of psychopathology and back pain (BP) or neck pain (NP) in rural southwest Ethiopia.Objective: Using data from a community-based sample, we assessed the prevalence and psychopathologic correlates of BP or NP in rural sub-Saharan Africa.Summary Of Background Data: BP and NP are among the most prevalent pain conditions. Psychopathology has been shown to be associated with both BP and NP in developed and urban developing contexts. Little is known about the relation between psychopathology and BP or NP in the rural, developing context.Methods: Data on self-reported BP and NP, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (PTS), gender, age, and socioeconomic status were collected from a representative cohort sample (N = 900) in rural southwest Ethiopia. We calculated univariate statistics to assess the prevalence of BP and NP. We used bivariate χ2 tests and multivariate logistic regression models to assess the relation between psychopathology and BP and NP.Results: The prevalence of BP was 16.7%; that of NP was 5.0%. In χ2 analyses, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTS were significantly associated with increased risk for each outcome. In models adjusted for age, household assets, and gender, depression symptomatology was associated with increased risk for BP (OR = 3.44, 95% CI: 2.37-5.00) and NP (OR = 4.92, 95% CI: 2.49-9.74). Anxiety symptomatology was also associated with increased risk for BP (OR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.98-4.20) and NP (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.41-5.09). PTS symptomatology was associated with increased risk for BP (OR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.78-4.69).Conclusion: In the first known study about the relation between psychopathologic symptomatology and BP and NP in a rural context in a developing country, the prevalence of BP and NP were comparable to published data in developed and developing countries. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were correlates of BP and NP, and symptoms of PTS were a correlate of BP. Comparative studies about the relation between psychopathology and chronic pain conditions between rural and urban contexts in the global south are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing interest in the social determinants of children's developmental outcomes in developing countries because of the links with schooling, behavioral, and employment outcomes. Yet, little is known about the impact of household and caretaker variables in influencing developmental outcomes in rural, developing country settings. Aim: The study examined the relative impact of individual and household variables and caretaker symptoms of common mental disorders on children's personal-social, fine and gross motor, and language development. Subjects and methods: A total of 431 children aged 3-24 months in a rural Ethiopian setting were studied. Children underwent a developmental assessment and parents independently provided information on household characteristics and were administered anxiety and depression symptom inventories. Results: In adjusted multivariable models, maternal symptoms of mental disorders were associated with both global development and most developmental sub-scales (p < 0.01) except language developmental; there was no consistent relation between paternal symptoms of mental disorders and child development. Nutritional stunting was generally a risk factor for lower developmental scores but few household-level variables were associated with child development. Conclusion: Child development in this setting is strongly associated with child age and maternal depression. If these findings are replicated elsewhere, they may suggest that interventions aimed at improving maternal depression may have an important role to play in efforts to improve child development and to mitigate the intergenerational transmission of poor health in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]