Dietary aflatoxin exposure and impaired growth in young children from Benin and Togo: cross sectional study

Abstract

We studied 480 children (aged 9 months to 5 years) from 16 villages in four geographic zones (four in each zone): Sudan savannah, north Guinea savannah, south Guinea savannah, and coastal savannah. The Ministries for Health in Benin and Togo gave ethical approval, and parents gave informed consent. We determined weight for age, height for age, and weight for height z scores, according to the median value of a World Health Organization reference population. A z score 2 is classified as malnutrition, and 3 represents severe malnutrition. We also determined weaning status and the socioeconomic status of the mother and family. We assessed aflatoxin exposure over the previous two to three months by measuring aflatoxin bound to albumin in blood.3