Objective: To monitor the growth of underweight children enrolled in a therapeutic feeding programme in Sarajevo during the war. Design: About 17% of the total child population in the age group one ...to 14 years were assessed for eligibility to join a therapeutic feeding programme. All those who were found to be underweight (weight for age < 10th percentile), or suffering from certain diseases or disabilities were included in the programme. Setting: Monitoring took place in health centres and clinics in besieged Sarajevo. Subjects: A total of 49 780 children aged one to 14 years were estimated to be living in Sarajevo between May 1993 and March 1994 and 8361 (16.8%) were assessed during this period. Of these, 1283 (2.6% of the total child population) were found to be underweight and enrolled in the programme. Interventions: The public were informed about the therapeutic feeding programme through the media. All children who came forward for initial assessment were weighed, had their heights measured and were medically examined by a team of medical personnel. Those found to be underweight were included in the programme which provided high quality food items, donated as food parcels. Children were re-weighed at three monthly intervals. When a child's weight increased to 0.5 kg above 10th percentile, the child left the programme. Results: Of 1283 children enrolled in the programme, 650 (50.7%) were suffering from chronic diseases while the remaining 633 (49.3%) were underweight only. Undernutrition was highest in the four to six year old age group (19.3% with low weight for age). Over half (58.3%) of the children who were underweight but not sick gained a satisfactory weight during the study period and left the programme. Conclusions: The results suggest that the therapeutic feeding programme was successful in improving growth in a self-selected sample of underweight children.
The Panamanian government is currently negotiating with the United States to determine the extent of the cleanup of US military bases along the Panama Canal. The withdrawal of the US will be ...completed December 31, 1999. At present, there is no mechanism to ensure that the US will fund, assist with, or assume liability for environmental hazards left on former US Department of Defense lands. Known contamination consists of unexploded munitions on former firing ranges used by the US Army, Navy, and Air Force. Most of these areas are forested with forests of varying age, type, and structure. Complete cleanup could involve complete deforestation of the former bases and firing ranges. The Nature Conservancy has evaluated the ecology of the lands using their "Rapid Ecological Assessment" protocol. The US plans for the lands to become protected areas with warning signs and jersey barriers to protect the public. Panama wants assurance that future cleanup and potential legal damages will be paid for by the US. This paper attempts to summarize the current situation and recommends a potential strategy to both conserve the most biologically diverse forest while maximizing the level of rehabilitation of the areas. It is based on observations and interviews made during a ten-day trip to the Panama Canal Watershed, as well as on news articles, fact sheets from a peace advocacy organization, and primary sources such as correspondence between the US and Panama and minutes from meetings.
Loss of body mass in ex-prisoners of war Pavlovic, M; Zavalic, M; Corovic, N ...
European journal of clinical nutrition,
11/1993, Letnik:
47, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Body mass was examined in the defenders of Vukovar (n = 71) from eastern Slavonia, Republic of Croatia, immediately on release from enemy concentration camps. The sample consisted of a group of 33 ...male smokers who had been imprisoned for (mean +/- SD) 127.4 +/- 18.4 days (age 31.6 +/- 7.2 years) and 38 male smokers, imprisoned for 271.6 +/- 14.4 days (age 30.8 +/- 6.5 years). According to subjective estimations the prisoners of war had lost 18.4 +/- 6.1% and 21.6 +/- 10.2% respectively, in relation to body mass before the war. For comparison data were used on a healthy population of male smokers from eastern Slavonia (Vinkovci, Republic of Croatia (n = 75) aged 32.4 +/- 5.2 years taken from a study carried out in 1976. Data were analysed on body mass, body mass index, triceps, subscapular skinfolds and percentage of body fat. AH parameters were statistically significantly lower in males imprisoned for 271.6 +/- 14.4 days in relation to the comparative group (P < 0.0001-0.05). A negative deviation from body mass nomogram was registered in prisoners of war in relation to the comparative group (5-16%). Basic biochemical parameters were examined in the prisoners of war. In the group imprisoned for 127.4 +/- 18.4 days statistically significant differences and pathological values of mean corpuscular volume and haematocrit were verified in relation to the group of prisoners with longer duration of imprisonment (P < 0.001). Although the prisoners of war had lost weight during imprisonment in the camps due to the frugal diet no clinical signs of malnutrition were found. This was attributed to the effect the international humanitarian organizations had on the recovery of prisoners during the last few weeks of imprisonment, and the tendency to be overweight in the rich agricultural regions of the Republic of Croatia. The study emphasizes the reliability of body mass index during war conditions.
Nutrition in pre-war Sarajevo Zec, S; Telebak, B; Sljepcevic, O ...
European journal of clinical nutrition
49
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Objective: To assess nutritional status, dietary intake and lifestyle habits of non-manual workers in Sarajevo. Design: Healthy employees in non-manual occupations from four large companies were ...invited to participate in a nutrition and health survey during 1990 and 1991. Setting: All the subjects were working in the city centre of Sarajevo. Subjects: 1860 subjects (1120 men and 740 women) aged from 20-65 years of age participated. Interventions: Nutritional status was evaluated through anthropometric measurements (weights and heights) and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Data on health status, diet and lifestyle were gathered through individual questionnaires. Results: Overall, 4.3% of the sample was found to be underweight (BMI < 18.5). Nearly 12% of women and 5.5% of men were obese (BMI > 30.5). The majority of the obese men were in responsible positions (for example, directors, heads of departments). The majority of obese women were in the 35-45 years old age group in the post-maternity period. Intakes of energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate exceeded former Yugoslavian recommended dietary allowances. About one third of participants (34.3% men and 27.3% women) smoked heavily and 18.1% of men drank alcohol. A total of 16.2% of men and 11.6% of women suffered from hypertension. Conclusions: The food intake of the population of Sarajevo before the war was generally high. There was high consumption of meat, fatty foods and alcoholic drinks (particularly among men) and low levels of physical activity. This resulted in high levels of obesity and chronic degenerative diseases such as hypertension. Thus, high living standards and physical inactivity had a damaging effect on the health of non-manual workers in pre-war Sarajevo.
Objective: To monitor the birthweight of children and the breast feeding practices of their mothers in one municipal area of besieged Sarajevo (Dobrinja) during the war. Design: A sample of babies ...born in Dobrinja in the period 1 April 1992 to 1 April 1994 were monitored. Setting: Data were collected at the paediatric clinic, Dobrinja, Sarajevo. Subjects: The sample included 70 of the babies born in Dobrinja during the survey period who attended the paediatric clinic. Interventions: Babies were weighed and medically examined immediately after birth. Data on breast feeding practices of all children were gathered by interviewing the mothers. Results: Ten out of 70 babies (14.3%) were low birth weight (<2500 grams). Half of the low birth weight babies had doubled their weight by three months of age. None of the low birth weight babies suffered from severe infections (only sporadic cases of enterocolitis) or psychomotor disorders in the first year of life. A total of 61 babies were breast fed until approximately one year of age, 17 children continued to breast feed after one year of age. Conclusions: Despite the adverse influence of the war on living conditions and the stress experienced by pregnant women and babies, levels of perinatal mortality and severe child morbidity were not uncommonly high in Dobrinja. A relatively high percentage of babies born during the war were of low birth weight but most achieved catch-up growth during the first year of life. The findings suggest that babies were adequately protected. This is probably due in part to the promotion of breast feeding and the distribution of supplementary food commodities to mothers and children initiated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other humanitarian organisations.
sisällön kuvaus: Yksi Vallisaaren Aleksanterin patterin tykkitiloista, joista tykillä ammuttiin. Näkymä on saaren lounaisosassa sijaitsevan kasematin itäpään sisäänkäynniltä. Valokuva on otettu ...vierailukäynnillä Vallisaaressa ennen saaren avaamista suurelle yleisölle.
Ryhmä vierailijoita seisoo ovensuussa. Rakennuksen lattia on lankuista tehty ja osa lankuista on irrotettu
niin, että maa niiden alla näkyy. Oviaukon ja ikkunan yläosat sekä katto kaareutuvat pyöreinä.
värillinen
Content description: One of the cannons of Alexander’s radiator in Vallisaari, where the cannon was shot. View from the entrance to the eastern end of the casemate in the southwest of the island. The photograph was taken during a visit to Vallisaari Island before the island opened to the general public.
A group of visitors stand at the doorway. Building floor made of planks and some of the planks removed
so that the ground is visible under them. The upper parts of the doorway and window and the roof are curved round.
colored
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