Does iron deficiency make you sleepy? [electronic resource] : evidence from infants on Pemba Island, Zanzibar / by Jackie R. Rasband

Author: Rasband, Jackie R.
Additional Titles: Evidence from infants on Pemba Island, Zanzibar
Published: [University Park, Pa.] : Pennsylvania State University, 2009.
Physical Description: 1 electronic document (55 pages)
Additional Creators: Kordas, Katarzyna

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Graduate Program

Nutrition

Summary

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) affect millions of children throughout the world, with children in the first two years of life most severely affected (1). IDA adversely influences child development, behavior as well as cognitive functioning. But very little evidence exists on whether ID is related to infants’ sleep. It has been shown that iron deficiency is exacerbated by the existence of malarial infection, which may also adversely affect sleep. Both ID and malaria are prevalent in Zanzibar, an island nation off the coast of Tanzania. We address the following questions: 1) Do IDA and non-IDA infants differ with respect to sleep and daytime activity patterns? 2) Is there a relationship between malaria, and infants’ sleep quality? Activity levels were monitored through the use of accelerometers, which were placed on the infants’ left ankle over a three night period. A nighttime period from 10 PM to 4 AM was isolated for analysis. Sleep quality was defined as the number of wake bouts an infant experienced and the fragmentation of sleep. Daytime periods between the hours of 8 AM and 11 AM and between 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM were analyzed for total activity levels. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze cross-sectional data from a community based sample of Zanzibari infants (n=45; 5-18 months of age). The mean hemoglobin level was 9.4 + 1.4 g/dL; the mean zinc protoporphyrin level was 161.0 + 150.4 ìmol/mol heme, with 55.6 % of the sample being anemic, 66.7% (ZPP) iron deficient, and 48.9% iron-deficient anemic. Malaria parasitemia was determined by blood films, with 42.2% of infants being infected. Infants with Hb <10.0 g/dL spent more time moving than infants with higher Hb levels (145.9 + 142.4 min vs. 86.6 + 111.9 min, p<0.022) at night and had more fragmented sleep (60.1 + 40.2% vs. 35.9 + 33.5%; p<0.017). Infants with ID had significantly more moving minutes than iron-replete infants (137.0 + 139.5 min vs. 86.4 + 107.5 min; p<0.040). Total morning activity levels significantly decreased in infants who were infected with 1000+ malaria parasites and had the following: Hb levels <10 (p<0.028), or ZPP > 90 (p<0.025), or IDA (p<0.040). Total afternoon activity levels were not significantly affected by malaria parasitemia or iron status. Using objective measures of nighttime activity patterns, our study confirms an association between infant iron status and sleep quality.

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Dissertation Note

M.S. Pennsylvania State University 2009.

Note

Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Thesis advisor: Katarzyna Kordas.

Technical Details

The full text of the dissertation is available as a Adobe Acrobat .pdf file ; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file.

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