Nutrition top-up aims to cut child illnesses

Health researchers are hoping to prevent illnesses in children by supplementing their nutrition early in life.

Auckland University researchers aim to reduce the number of children taken to hospital with communicable diseases such as pneumonia.

It has received a $150,000 grant from the Health Research Council for a pilot study involving 60 children under 2 years of age of mainly Pacific Island and Maori descent.

"We've high hospital admission rates for a number of communicable diseases like pneumonia, and we think poor nutrition is contributing to that," said associate professor in paediatrics Cameron Grant, who is leading the study.

"Pneumonia continues to be one of the main killers of children around the world. The issues that we think we've identified here that are associated with children being in hospital ... in the developing world kill them."

Before the introduction of antibiotics, improved nutrition led to a marked fall in infant and child mortality rates over the past century.

Vitamin A deficiency increased susceptibility to measles, vitamin D to pneumonia and zinc to pneumonia and gastroenteritis, he said. Improved nutrition could also boost learning abilities. Studies showed the importance of iron in brain development.

"When kids are sick they don't learn particularly well. If you can prevent recurrent sickness, you've got more of a chance to learn."

Dr Grant said the trial would look at introducing "nutritional intervention" in primary care starting early in infancy.

The study would help to determine the form of intervention - vitamin supplements or injections.

The pilot, being conducted with Tamaki PHO, is likely to start next year.