Gut environment and socioeconomic status: a study of children in urban area of Makassar

Abstract

Although urbanization has long been associated with human development and progress,

recent research has revealed that urban environments can also result in significant inequalities

in many areas including health. In particular, urban areas in low and middle income

countries (LMIC), often see a widening gap in economic growth which contributes to health disparities between wealthy and underprivileged children. Several studies have established the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and child health, showing that children of low-income parents had poorer health status. The rise of non-communicable diseases, the persistence of communicable disease, and the challenge of re-emerging diseases are currently a burden in developing countries. Given the rapid increases of urbanization and urban poverty in several developing countries including Indonesia, it is important to elaborate to what extent SES affects child health. We have done so, in relation to outcome of BCG vaccination, atopic sensitization, and intestinal barrier function. We have also investigated the interaction between intestinal parasitic infections and bacterial gut microbiota in order to be able to delineate the contribution of this interaction on the function of intestinal barrier.