Shively, Gerald

Abstract

A growing body of mainly cross-sectional evidence suggests an association between mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxin exposure, and poor linear growth in children. We describe the design and methods of a rigorous longitudinal birth cohort study aimed to deepen our understanding of this hypothesized relationship and to validate dried blood spots as a less invasive, low-cost collection method for venous blood samples. The AflaCohort study was conducted in Banke district of Nepal from 2015 to 2019.

Background

Aflatoxins are found in diverse foods widely consumed worldwide. This study investigated the association between aflatoxin exposure and (a) consumption of specific foods, (b) dietary diversity (DD), and (c) seasonality.

This study used maternal and newborn data from the AflaCohort Study, an ongoing birth cohort study in Banke, Nepal (n = 1621). Data on aflatoxin B1(AFB1)-lysine adducts in maternal serum were collected once during pregnancy (at mean ± SD: 136 ± 43 d of gestation). Maternal serum AFB1-lysine adduct concentration was measured via HPLC.

Transportation development accompanies economic development, both as a driver of growth and as an outcome of economy-wide investments made possible by growth. Evidence of the effects of roads and road quality on human well-being is limited. This paper studies the association between district-level transportation infrastructure and district-average child nutrition outcomes in Nepal. We combine two rounds of nationally representative data on child growth from the 2006 and 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys with district-level information on roads and road quality.

This poster shows data supporting the relationship between maize and groundnut consumption and aflatoxin levels in Nepalese women eating a rice-dominated diet.

We use panel data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) administered among 1200 smallholders in Uganda to evaluate input use and food security impacts of an improved maize storage technology. After two seasons, households who received the technology were 10 percentage points more likely to plant hybrid maize varieties that are more susceptible to insect pests in storage than traditional lower-yielding varieties.

This poster details aflatoxin rates, control practices, and prevention practices in Banke, Nepal. Presented at Experimental Biology in 2017.
 

This poster details the protocol for the Aflacohort birth cohort study, conducted in Banke, Nepal. Presented at the 5th Annual Scientific Symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Abstract:?This paper studies the connections between child nutrition and food prices in Nepal. Data from a number of sources are combined, including the 2006 and 2011 Nepal Demographic Health Surveys and monthly retail food price data collected over the period 2002 to 2010 from 34 districts of Nepal. A total of 4,038 children are used for the analysis (2,765 from 2006 and 1,273 from 2011). Price data are selected for six food commodities important for child nutrition outcomes: coarse rice, wheat flour, sugar, ghee, soybean and milk.