PhD Oral Defense: An Ecosystem Approach to Understanding Preschool Child Growth in Rural Panama: Potential Nutritional Benefits and Infection Risks of an Agricultural Intervention

PhD Oral Defense of Rachel Krause, Institute of Parasitology.

Agricultural interventions have been used in a variety of contexts to improve preschool child nutritional outcomes. However, recent reviews have demonstrated that these interventions often show much weaker improvements in child growth than expected. Many were conducted in areas endemic for soil-transmitted helminths (STH), which are known to diminish preschool child growth. Further, intensified agricultural practices and exposure have been shown to increase STH infections. Using an Ecosystem Approach to Health, I explored the intended nutritional improvements and unintended infection consequences of an agricultural intervention for subsistence farming families in rural Panama.

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