title: AIDS in the family and community: the impact on child health in Malawi.
abstract: Pediatric HIV infections jeopardize children's health and survival. Much less is known about how the experiences of being orphaned, living with chronically ill parents, or living in a severely affected community impact child health. Our study responds by examining which HIV/AIDS-related experiences place children at greatest risk for poor health. Data from the 2004-2005 Malawi Integrated Household Survey were analyzed using logistic multilevel modeling to examine whether HIV/AIDS-related experiences within the family and community predicted reported health status among children age 6-17 years. We found higher burdens of acute and chronic morbidity for children whose parents have an AIDS-related illness. No other AIDS-related exposure, including orphanhood and recent household deaths, demonstrated a clear relationship with health status. Children living with sick parents may be at increased risk due to the spread of infectious disease and receiving limited adult care. Community home-based care programs are best situated to identify children in these difficult circumstances and to mitigate their disadvantage.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Canada. rachelkidman@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kidman
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heymann
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000635:transmission; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors