Case-control analysis of the health and nutrition of orphan schoolchildren in Ethiopia.
OBJECTIVE
To undertake a case-control analysis of the health, nutrition and caring practices of orphans enrolled in primary schools in Ethiopia.


METHODS
Pupils of both sexes aged 7-17 who were randomly selected from Grades 3 and 4 of primary school during a national survey of schoolchildren in Ethiopia and who were classified as an orphan were matched by age, sex and school with non-orphans. Logistic regression was used to compare children in terms of indicators of anthropometric and nutritional status, chronic infections, personal hygiene, diet, caring practices and self-reported sensory disability.


RESULTS
Of the 7752 children in the national survey, 1283 (16.9%) had lost either both parents or one parent. Of these orphans, 1048 were uniquely pair matched for the case-control analysis. About 60% of orphans had lost their father, and about 20% each had lost their mother or both parents. Orphans had better anthropometric measurements and indices than non-orphans, although the differences were small, and they were less likely to have a goitre (OR = 0.68, P = 0.011). There were no differences in the odds of infections. Orphans were less likely than non-orphans to have eaten breakfast or fruit and vegetables on the previous day and were more likely to report having trouble seeing and hearing.


CONCLUSIONS
Orphans were slight better nourished than non-orphans, but this could have been a result of asystematic bias in underestimating the age of orphans. The indicators suggested that orphans were less well cared for than non-orphans, but the differences were small.
Hall
Andrew
A
Centre for Public Health Nutrition, University of Westminster, London, UK. ah2108@gmail.com
Tuffrey
Veronica
V
Kassa
Tamiru
T
Demissie
Tsegaye
T
Degefie
Tedbabe
T
Lee
Seung
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000592:standards*; D002669:Child Welfare; D054540:Child, Orphaned; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status