The implications of developmentel origins of health and disease for Africa : what can be learnt from available data?
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Sun Media
Abstract
There is a broad spectrum of knowledge globally that shows that specific exposures
in early life – during pregnancy and early childhood – might affect what happens
at various later stages of life. The scientific field behind this has become known
as the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). The underlying
mechanisms may be complex, and understanding and analysing the epidemiology
of the causes and effects are complicated. Long-term individual data, often across
generations, are the best way into understanding the precise nature of such effects.
Therefore, much of the research that has been done in this area has happened
where detailed, individual data on health and welfare are a routine part of social
structures – for example, in Scandinavian countries. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to suppose similar exposures and effects might apply
within African populations – the difference being that relevant details are much
less likely to be documented. Since there is no quick fix for implementing data
collection that spans generations, the only indirect clues as to how DOHaD may
be affecting Africans is to consider how available data sources might be used in
derivative analyses. In this chapter, an example is presented of taking a relationship
established elsewhere between breastfeeding and obesity, applied to publicdomain
estimates on breastfeeding and childhood obesity in Africa, and analysed
to estimate the magnitude of the likely consequences of non-breastfeeding on
childhood obesity in Africa. This approach is much less rigorous than the ideal
situation where specific individuals’ breastfeeding histories could be related to their
later individual obesity, but it offers some clues as to the likely magnitude of this
particular issue in Africa, and offers a proof-of-principle for this general approach.
Description
CITATION: Byass, P. 2020. The implications of developmentel origins of health and disease for Africa : what can be learnt from available data? in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/03.
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
Keywords
Diseases -- Africa, Medical care -- Africa, Public health -- Africa
Citation
Byass, P. 2020. The implications of developmentel origins of health and disease for Africa : what can be learnt from available data? in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/03.