scholarly journals Nutrient Adequacy of Global Food Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Canxi Chen ◽  
Abhishek Chaudhary ◽  
Alexander Mathys

A major challenge for countries around the world is to provide a nutritionally adequate diet to their population with limited available resources. A comprehensive analysis that reflects the adequacy of domestic food production for meeting national nutritional needs in different countries is lacking. Here we combined national crop, livestock, aquaculture, and fishery production statistics for 191 countries obtained from UN FAO with food composition databases from USDA and accounted for food loss and waste occurring at various stages to calculate the amounts of calories and 24 essential nutrients destined for human consumption. We then compared the domestic production quantities of all nutrients with their population-level requirements estimated from age- and sex-specific intake recommendations of WHO to assess the nutrient adequacy of the national food production. Our results show inadequate production of seven out of 24 nutrients (choline, calcium, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, and iron) in most countries, despite the overall adequacy of the total global production. High-income countries produce adequate amounts of dietary nutrients in general, while the foods produced in low-income countries mainly comprising roots and cereal products often lack in important micronutrients such as choline, calcium, and vitamin B12. South Asian food production barely fulfills half of the required vitamin A. Our study identifies target nutrients for each country whose domestic production should be encouraged for improving nutritional adequacy through interventions such as increasing the production of foods or fortified foods that are rich in these inadequate nutrients while not undermining the local environment. This assessment can serve as an evidence base for nutrition-sensitive policies facilitating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and good health and well-being.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Johanna F. Lindahl ◽  
Florence Mutua ◽  
Delia Grace

Abstract Livestock interventions can improve nutrition, health, and economic well-being of communities. The objectives of this review were to identify and characterize livestock interventions in developing countries and to assess their effectiveness in achieving development outcomes. A scoping review, guided by a search strategy, was conducted. Papers needed to be written in English, published in peer-reviewed journals, and describe interventions in animal health and production. Out of 2739 publications systematically screened at the title, abstract, and full publication levels, 70 met our inclusion criteria and were considered in the study. Eight relatively high-quality papers were identified and added, resulting in 78 reviewed publications. Only 15 studies used randomized controlled trial designs making it possible to confidently link interventions with the resulting outcomes. Eight studies had human nutrition or health as outcomes, 11 focused on disease control, and four were on livestock production. Eight interventions were considered successful, but only four were scalable. We found good evidence that livestock-transfer programs, leveraging livestock products for nutrition, and helping farmers manage priority diseases, can improve human well-being. Our report highlights challenges in garnering evidence for livestock interventions in developing countries and provides suggestions on how to improve the quantity and quality of future evaluations.


The Lancet ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 353 (9163) ◽  
pp. 1458-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M Filteau ◽  
Andrew M Tomkins

First Monday ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iffat Ali Aksar ◽  
Mahmoud Danaee ◽  
Huma Maqsood ◽  
Amira Firdaus

Social media use has been increasing apace regardless of geographical and economic boundaries. In particular, its penetration has occurred more rapidly in developing and low-income countries with abounding health and psychological disadvantages. Given the understanding that women are more prone to psychological disorders than men, the current research is an effort to examine social media motives and subsequent effects on the psychological well-being of women social media users in Pakistan. The study is based on an online survey conducted to ascertain as to what extent social media use contributes to women’s psychological well-being or otherwise. The survey recorded responses of 240 women selected through purposive sampling technique. SEM-PLS analysis of the collected data revealed that social media usage plays a meaningful role in women’s psychological health. However, results exposed that Pakistani women, under the traditional patriarchal social pressure, not only have to observe cultural norms in online practices but are also forced to adhere to socially constructed gender roles in online spaces. The mixed results suggest conducting extensive research for a deeper insight into the role of social media in psychological well-being of women in other low-income countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. e0000089
Author(s):  
Bernadette Nakabazzi ◽  
Lucy-Joy M. Wachira ◽  
Adewale L. Oyeyemi ◽  
Ronald Ssenyonga ◽  
Vincent O. Onywera

The benefits of physical activity (PA) on children’s health and well-being are well established. However, many children do not meet the PA recommendations, increasing their risk of being overweight, obese, and non-communicable diseases. Environmental characteristics of homes and neighborhoods may constrain a child’s ability to engage in PA, but evidence is needed to inform country-specific interventions in understudied low-income countries. This study assessed the associations between parental-perceived home and neighbourhood, built environment characteristics, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among children in Kampala city, Uganda. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 256 children (55.5% girls) aged between 10 and 12 years and their parents. Children’s MVPA was measured using waist-worn ActiGraph accelerometers. The environments were assessed using a valid self-reported parent survey. Linear regression models with standard errors (clusters) were used to analyze the relationship between environmental variables and children’s MVPA. Sex-specific relationships were assessed using sex-stratified models. Play equipment at home (β = -2.37, p <0.001; unexpected direction), residential density (β = 2.70, p<0.05), and crime safety (β = -5.29, p <0.05; unexpected direction) were associated with children’s MVPA. The sex-specific analyses revealed more inconsistent patterns of results with a higher perception of land use mix associated with less MVPA in girls (irrespective of school type attended), and higher perceptions of sidewalk infrastructure (β = -12.01, p <0.05) and walking and cycling infrastructure (β = -14.72, p <0.05) associated with less MVPA in girls attending public schools only. A better perception of crime safety was associated with less MVPA among boys and girls attending private schools (β = -3.80, p <0.05). Few environmental characteristics were related to children’s MVPA in Uganda, and findings were largely inconsistent, especially among girls. Future studies are needed to understand the ecological determinants of health-related PA behaviors among children in Uganda.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (159) ◽  
pp. 161-168
Author(s):  
N. Semchenko

Mortality from road accidents continues to rise, amounting to 1.35 million deaths per year. It is emphasized that today injuries as a result of road accidents are the main cause of children death and young people aged 5-29 years and the three main causes of person’s death aged 5 to 44 years. Studies of road safety various aspects in different countries have shown that the world has long and steadily formed a global problem of irregular road accidents. First of all, the inverse dependence of the emergency risk on the material well-being of countries is clearly visible. The risk of death as a result of road accidents in low-income countries is three times higher than in high-income countries. The highest rates are in Africa (26.6 cases per 100,000 people) and the lowest in Europe (9.3 cases per 100,000 people). In addition, in recent years, experts are trying to link the actual accident rate in countries with the life quality of their populations. Quality of life as a concept includes not only the material level but also the satisfaction of spiritual needs, health, life expectancy, environmental conditions, moral and psychological climate, emotional comfort, etc., which ultimately determines the transport culture of the population. In this regard, it is of interest to identify links between the results of rating assessments of the people life quality in different countries and the level of these countries road safety typical. To do this, first of all it is necessary to assess the economic factors impact on the motorization level, which is insufficiently studied. The purpose is to determine the dependences of the economic factors impact, namely gross domestic product per capita and average wages, on the motorization level. The data for the study were taken from official statistical sources. The results were processed by methods of mathematical statistics and regression analysis. According to the results of the experiments, regression models were obtained for European countries; Asia and Oceania; The Middle East; Africa; North, Central America and the Caribbean; South America. The comparison of the simulated values and the initial data showed a high degree of correlation. The originality lies in the fact that the regularities of the economic factors influence on the motorization level are investigated, which makes it possible to obtain predicted values in the future. Improving the efficiency and safety of vehicles on the road network is possible based on the use of the motorization level predicted values in research. The obtained research results can be used to determine the feasibility of introducing certain measures to organize traffic.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Ufuoma John Ejughemre

Context: The past few decades witnessed significant economic growth in many developing countries of the world. These economic changes towards increasing gross domestic product (GDP) brought with it several other transitions in these countries: demographic, epidemiological, technological, and nutritional. These resulted in improving the living standards as well as life expectancy in many of these countries. However, of public health concern is the fact that these transitions paradoxically have their negative consequences on the health, well-being and wealth of the populace in these countries. Objectives: This review therefore assesses the evidence of the extent to which these changes have affected the living patterns in many developing countries and the epidemiological implications besides others issues on the populace in these countries. Methods: By using key words, the author involved a broad search of literatures on lifestyle changes, economic growth, nutrition, urbanization, smoking and alcohol, communicable and non-communicable diseases in countries termed low and middle income. Findings and conclusion: The review identified discernible evidence base about the implications of these changes on health, well-being and wealth of these nations. Accordingly, as lifestyle transitions now come to bear, it thus necessitates an all inclusive approach that will include proactive and pre-emptive interventions as well as consistent participation from governments, multilateral institutions, research-funding agencies, donors, and other players in health systems. This is because it will provide the global community with great opportunities in uniting high, middle, and low-income countries in a common purpose, given the shared interests of globalization and economic burdens worldwide.


1982 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Wayne A. Schutjer ◽  
C. Shannon Stokes

The current and future world food problem is centered in low income nations and among low income segments of populations world wide. The thesis of this paper is that increases in income and food production in the poorer nations and among low income segments of rural populations elsewhere are likely to aggravate that problem in the first instance. It is after some minimum level of economic well being has been attained that further increases in income will result in reduced family size.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohit Pal ◽  
Karanvir Singh ◽  
Joyson Paul ◽  
Shah Alam Khan ◽  
Mohd. Javed Naim ◽  
...  

: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder, characterized by predisposition of unprovoked seizures affecting the neurobiological, psychological, cognitive, economic, and social well-being of patient. As per the 2019 report by World Health Organization, it affects nearly 80% of the population which comes from the middle to low-income countries. It has been suggested that 70% of such cases can be treated effectively if properly diagnosed. It is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting 50 million people globally. Most of the antiepileptic drugs used in clinical practice are only 60-80% effective in controlling the disease. These drugs suffer from serious drawbacks of non-selectivity and toxicity that limit their clinical usefulness. Hence, there is a need to search for the safe, potent, and effective anti-epileptic drugs. One of the emerging strategies to discover and develop selective and non-toxic anticonvulsant molecule focuses on design of non-nitrogen heterocyclic compounds (NNHC). Drugs such as valproic acid, gabapentin, viagabatrin, fluorofelbamate, tiagabine, progabide, pregabalin, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) etc., do not contain a nitrogen heterocyclic ring but are as effective anticonvulsants as conventional heterocyclic nitrogen compounds. This review covers the various classes of NNHC which have been developed in the recent past as anticonvulsants along with their chemistry, percentage yield, structure activity relationship and biological activity. The most potent compound in each series has been identified for the comparative studies, for further structural modification and to improve the pharmacokinetic profile. Various optimized synthetic pathways and diverse functionalities other than nitrogen-containing rings discussed in the article may help medicinal chemists to design safe and effective anticonvulsant drugs in near future.


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