Associations of Malaria, Diarrhea, and Respiratory Infections with Growth Velocity of Children in Tanzania

Abstract

The growth of children is influenced by various factors, including infections like malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory tract infections (RTIs). This study aimed to assess the associations of these infections with the monthly growth velocity in Tanzanian children. We used data from 2,397 Tanzanian children enrolled in a randomized controlled trial and followed for 18 months (30,079 monthly visits). The exposure variables were infections, whereas the outcome variables were monthly height and weight velocities. Mixed-effects models were used to assess the relationships. The average height velocity was 1.58 cm per month, and average weight velocity was 358 g per month during the follow-up period. Malaria infection was association with a reduction of 0.14 cm/month in height velocity (coefficient [95% CI]: -0.14 [-0.23 to -0.05]) but not significantly associated with weight velocity. RTIs were associated with a reduction of 0.10 cm/month (coefficient [95% CI]: -0.10 [-0.15 to -0.04]) and a decrease of 37 g/month (coefficient [95% CI]: -37 [-72 to -2.6]) in height and weight velocity, respectively. Diarrhea was also inversely associated with both height and weight velocity, with reductions of 0.26 cm/month (coefficient [95% CI]: -0.26 [-0.35 to -0.17])] and 120 g/month (coefficient [95% CI]: -120 [-177 to -62]), respectively. The findings demonstrate that malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea are associated with slower growth velocity in children. These results underscore the importance of integrated health care strategies to address these prevalent infections, because preventing them may contribute to healthier child growth and better overall health outcomes.