scholarly journals Higher Maternal and Child Undernutrition in Pulse than Cereal Growing Rural Communities of Ethiopia: A comparative Cross-sectional Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Getahun Ersino ◽  
Carol J. Henry ◽  
Gordon A. Zello

Background: Whether growing pulses (low fat legumes rich in protein and micronutrients) translates to nutritional health benefits has not been well documented in Ethiopia. In pulse- and cereal-based agricultural communities, we compared the nutrition of mothers and children (<5y) through anthropometric and dietary assessment to document evidence of pulse agriculture translating to nutritional health benefits. We also explored contextual factors influencing nutritional status. Methods: Comparative study was conducted in purposively selected pulse- and cereal-growing Ethiopian communities, from rural Halaba and Zeway, with randomly selected individual participants of 413 and 217 mother-child dyads, respectively. Dietary diversity scores (DDS) and consumption indexes for selected food groups were assessed; median intakes of energy, protein, Fe, Zn, Ca were determined from a single-day weighed food records (in a subsample). Mother-child undernutrition was estimated using anthropometric assessments of weight, length/height and mid-upper-arm-circumference, MUAC. Results: Median energy and nutrient intakes for pulse-mothers, but not children, were significantly higher than cereal-mothers (p<0.01); Median DDS for mothers-children were three, out of nine food groups, in both communities; consumption index of pulses, although higher in the pulse-community (p<0.001), was generally low amounting to consumption of only 1-2/week; consumption from animal sources was minimal. Undernutrition in mothers was 22% in pulse and 14% in cereal. Child stunting, wasting and underweight were 53.5%, 10.4% and 36.5% in pulse and 41.8%, 4.1% and 21.6% in the cereal group, respectively. Gender-sensitive factors, such as access to own-land and work-burden predicted maternal-MUAC. Stunting, household size, land size, antenatal-clinic visits and frequency of dairy consumption also predicted maternal-MUAC. Child age, community (i.e., pulse- or cereal-growing), household size and land size predicted chid height-for-age z-score (HAZ). Pulses were mostly sold and women had limited control; mothers’ knowledge of the nutrition benefits of pulses was lower in pulse community (p<0.01). Conclusions: Poor DDS, pulse or animal-source food consumption and high levels of maternal and child undernutrition were found in both communities. The unexpected finding of greater undernutrition in the pulse-growing Halaba communities was of concern needing further investigation. The pulse-community could benefit from educational nutrition-intervention focusing on nutrition and other benefits of pulses.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Zizwani Brian Chilinda ◽  
Mark L. Wahlqvist ◽  
Meei-Shyuan Lee ◽  
Yi-Chen Huang

Along with sanitation and hygiene, water is a well-known driver of child undernutrition. However, a more direct role of household (HH) water access in shaping dietary diversity remains unexplored. We assessed the association between HH water access and achievement of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among young children. We utilized nationally-representative cross-sectional data from the 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, which included 4727 mother–child dyads, respectively, (26.8 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years) and (13.9 ± 4.9 months, range 6–23 months). HH water access was categorized as (1) basic or no access, (2) intermediate, or (3) optimal. MDD was defined as feeding a child, during the previous day, at least four of the food groups defined by the World Health Organization. Only 27.7% of the children achieved MDD standards; most of the children who achieved MDD were from HHs with optimal water access (58.4%, p < 0.001). However, only 5.9% of the mother–child dyads were from HHs with optimal water access. After adjusting for covariates, children from HHs with optimal water access had higher odds of achieving MDD than those from HHs with basic or no water access (aOR = 1.74, CI = 1.24–2.46). Our results highlight the need to incorporate water-based strategies into national nutritional policies to increase dietary diversity among Malawian infants and young children.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
Isaac Anane ◽  
Fengying Nie ◽  
Jiaqi Huang

Dietary inadequacy is a major challenge among young children in Ghana. Nutritional policies are required for optimum child nutrition and development. This study explored food consumption and dietary diversity by socioeconomic status and geographical location among children aged 6–23 months in Ghana. We used the latest national representative, cross-sectional data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS-2014). A total of 887 children aged 6–23 months were used in the final analysis. The survey collected data on children’s food consumption through their mothers in the 24 h recall method. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between socioeconomic status and geographical location with food consumption and adequate dietary diversity after adjusting for control variables. The study revealed an association between specific food item consumption, food groups, and dietary diversity by socioeconomic and geographic characteristics. However, dairy consumption increased faster than other nutritional foods when socioeconomic status increased. Furthermore, the study revealed that children’s chances of consuming particular food items and food groups differed across Ghana’s 10 regions. The average probabilities of consuming adequate dietary diversity between the Greater Accra region and Ashanti region were 43% vs. 8% (p < 0.001). Consumption of grains, root, and tubers were relatively higher but low for Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables and legumes and nuts for children aged 6–23 months in Ghana. Overall, the mean dietary diversity score was low (3.39; 95% CI: 3.30–3.49) out of eight food groups, and the prevalence of adequate dietary diversity was 22% only. There is a need for policy interventions to ensure appropriate dietary practices to promote healthy growth of children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 1284-1290
Author(s):  
Andrea M Warren ◽  
Edward A Frongillo ◽  
Phuong H Nguyen ◽  
Purnima Menon

ABSTRACT Background Behavioral change communication (BCC) promotes skills and knowledge to improve infant and young child feeding, but without additional material inputs, recipients must develop strategies to translate knowledge into action. Using data from the Alive & Thrive initiative in Bangladesh (2010–2014), we aimed to test whether households receiving the intensive intervention (opposed to the nonintensive intervention) increased expenditures on key foods for mothers and children (e.g., foods that were promoted by the intervention and also changed in maternal and child diets). Methods The intensive intervention provided interpersonal counseling, community mobilization, and mass media campaigns to promote breastfeeding and complementary feeding. A cluster-randomized design compared 20 subdistricts randomly assigned to the intensive (4281 households) or nonintensive (4284 households) intervention. Measures included food and nonfood expenditures, dietary diversity, and women's economic resources. Linear and logistic regression tested difference-in-differences (DD) in expenditures and dietary diversity, accounting for subdistricts as clusters, and the association between maternal and child consumption of specific food groups and corresponding food expenditures. Results Expenditures on eggs and flesh foods increased more in intensive areas than in nonintensive areas by 53 (P &lt; 0.01) and 471 (P &lt; 0.01) taka/mo, respectively. Household food expenditures increased more in intensive areas by 832 taka (P = 0.02), whereas changes in nonfood expenditures did not differ. Women's employment and control of income increased more in intensive areas by 12 (P = 0.03) and 13 (P &lt; 0.01) percentage points, respectively, while jewelry ownership decreased more by 23 percentage points (P &lt; 0.01). Higher expenditures on food groups were reflected in higher consumption by women and children. Conclusions Recipients in the intensive intervention mobilized additional resources to improve diets, reflected in increased expenditures and consumption of promoted foods. BCC interventions should document how recipients produce desired results without additional material inputs, particularly for behaviors that likely require additional resources. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01678716.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naiá Ortelan ◽  
Daniela Almeida Neri ◽  
Maria Helena D’Aquino Benicio

OBJECTIVE: To characterize complementary feeding and to analyze the influence of individual and contextual factors on dietary practices of low birth weight infants. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 2,370 low birth weight infants aged 6 to 12 months included in the Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey in Brazilian Municipalities (2008), which covered the 26 state capitals, the Federal District and 37 municipalities. Dietary practices were assessed using two indicators: I) dietary diversity, characterized by the consumption of five food groups: meat, beans, vegetables, fruit and milk; II) consumption of ultra-processed foods, characterized by the ingestion of at least one of the following foods on the day prior to the survey: soda, or processed juice, or cookie, cracker and crisps. The covariates of interest were the socioeconomic characteristics of infants, mothers and health services. The contextual factor was the “municipal prevalence of child undernutrition.” The individualized effect of the study factors on outcomes was assessed by multilevel Poisson regression. RESULTS: Approximately 59% of infants consumed ultra-processed foods, while 29% had diverse feeding. Mothers living in municipalities with child undernutrition prevalence below 10%, with higher education and working outside the home were more likely to offer dietary diversity. Consumption of ultra-processed foods was higher among infants living in municipalities with child undernutrition prevalence below 10%, whose mothers were younger and multiparous. CONCLUSIONS: The low prevalence of diverse feeding combined with the high prevalence of ultra-processed food consumption characterizes the low quality of feeding of low birth weight Brazilian infants. Individual and contextual factors impact the feeding quality of this population, suggesting the need for effective strategies to increase the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods and decrease the consumption of ultra-processed foods by this vulnerable population.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402097999
Author(s):  
Aloyce R. Kaliba ◽  
Anne G. Gongwe ◽  
Kizito Mazvimavi ◽  
Ashagre Yigletu

In this study, we use double-robust estimators (i.e., inverse probability weighting and inverse probability weighting with regression adjustment) to quantify the effect of adopting climate-adaptive improved sorghum varieties on household and women dietary diversity scores in Tanzania. The two indicators, respectively, measure access to broader food groups and micronutrient and macronutrient availability among children and women of reproductive age. The selection of sample households was through a multistage sampling technique, and the population was all households in the sorghum-producing regions of Central, Northern, and Northwestern Tanzania. Before data collection, enumerators took part in a 1-week training workshop and later collected data from 822 respondents using a structured questionnaire. The main results from the study show that the adoption of improved sorghum seeds has a positive effect on both household and women dietary diversity scores. Access to quality food groups improves nutritional status, food security adequacy, and general welfare of small-scale farmers in developing countries. Agricultural projects that enhance access to improved seeds are, therefore, likely to generate a positive and sustainable effect on food security and poverty alleviation in sorghum-producing regions of Tanzania.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishnu Dulal ◽  
Gary Mundy ◽  
Rojee Sawal ◽  
Pooja Pandey Rana ◽  
Kenda Cunningham

Background: Suaahara, a large-scale integrated program, aimed to improve diets and nutritional status among women and children, in part by facilitating enhanced homestead food production (EHFP). Objective: This study examines associations between EHFP and maternal and child dietary diversity and variations by season and agroecological zone (AEZ): mountains and terai. Methods: We used data from household monitoring surveys (n = 2101 mothers; n = 994 children, 6-23 months), which included a 7-day dietary recall and maternal report on participation in 5 EHFP activities—received vegetable seeds, chicks, and technical support and participated in training and EHFP groups. We constructed binary variables for each activity and a scale (0-5) summing participation. For dietary diversity, we used the Women’s Dietary Diversity Score using 10 food groups and 7 food groups for child diets. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess associations between EHFP participation and dietary diversity by season and AEZ, controlling for potential confounders and clustering. Results: In adjusted models, we found positive associations between dietary diversity and chicks, technical support, and EHFP beneficiary groups; the magnitude of the associations varied by season and AEZ. The degree of participation in 5 EHFP activities was positively associated with maternal dietary diversity in the terai (β = .24, P < .001) and mountains (β = .12, P = .01) and child dietary diversity in the terai (β = .35, P < .001) during the winter. No associations were found in the rainy season. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential for EHFP to address dietary diversity constraints among this population. Variation by subnational setting and seasonality suggest that policies and programs should be contextualized.


Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Makurat ◽  
Eleonore Kretz ◽  
Frank Wieringa ◽  
Chhoun Chamnan ◽  
Michael Krawinkel

The objective of this paper is to compare food consumption by Cambodian garment workers with and without access to a free model lunch provision through a factory-based canteen. Data from an exploratory randomised controlled trial were analysed. In total, 223 female Cambodian garment workers were allocated to an intervention arm (six-month lunch provision) or a control arm. Dietary intake on workdays was assessed by qualitative 24-h recalls at baseline and twice at follow-ups during the period of lunch provision using the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) guideline on assessing women’s dietary diversity. In total, 158 participants provided complete data on the dietary intake over workdays at all interviews. Lunch provision resulted in a more frequent consumption of dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), vitamin A-rich fruits, other fruits, and oils and fats during lunch breaks. In contrast, flesh meats, legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as sweets, were eaten at a lower frequency. Except for a higher consumption rate of vitamin A-rich fruits and a lower intake frequency of sweets, lunch provision had a less clear impact on total 24-h intake from different food groups and was not associated with a higher women’s dietary diversity score (WDDS). A more gap-oriented design of the lunch sets taking into account underutilised foods and the nutritional status of the workers is recommended.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Erin E Esaryk ◽  
Sarah Anne Reynolds ◽  
Lia CH Fernald ◽  
Andrew D Jones

Abstract Objectives: To examine associations of household crop diversity with school-aged child dietary diversity in Vietnam and Ethiopia and mechanisms underlying these associations. Design: We created a child diet diversity score (DDS) using data on seven food groups consumed in the last 24 h. Generalised estimating equations were used to model associations of household-level crop diversity, measured as a count of crop species richness (CSR) and of plant crop nutritional functional richness (CNFR), with DDS. We examined effect modification by household wealth and subsistence orientation, and mediation by the farm’s market orientation. Setting: Two survey years of longitudinal data from the Young Lives cohort. Participants: Children (aged 5 years in 2006 and 8 years in 2009) from rural farming households in Ethiopia (n 1012) and Vietnam (n 1083). Results: There was a small, positive association between household CNFR and DDS in Ethiopia (CNFR–DDS, β = 0·13; (95 % CI 0·07, 0·19)), but not in Vietnam. Associations of crop diversity and child diet diversity were strongest among poor households in Ethiopia and among subsistence-oriented households in Vietnam. Agricultural earnings positively mediated the crop diversity–diet diversity association in Ethiopia. Discussion: Children from households that are poorer and those that rely more on their own agricultural production for food may benefit most from increased crop diversity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Amoako Agyei ◽  
Stephen Kofi Afrifa ◽  
Adam Munkaila ◽  
Patience Kanyiri Gaa ◽  
Eugene Dogkotenge Kuugbee ◽  
...  

Essential nutrients are necessary for reducing the risk of maternal mortality, prenatal mortality, and low-birthweight infants. Dietary diversity can play an important role in supplying essential nutrients to both the mother and the foetus. We evaluated nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary diversity of pregnant women. In addition, we investigated the sociodemographic determinants of dietary diversity among pregnant women from a rural district in Ghana. Participants were pregnant women receiving antenatal care from a rural district hospital in Ghana. Dietary diversity was measured using a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of dietary diversity. About 85% of the pregnant women knew that they should eat more in comparison to nonpregnant women, and only 16.9% knew the importance of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. Mean (SD) dietary diversity score of the participants was 5.27 (1.35), 85.4% did not consume any fruits, and 82.3% did not take milk and milk products. Almost all participants took at least one food item in the starchy staples and green leafy vegetables food groups. Moreover, 53% consumed vitamin A-rich fruits, vegetables, and tubers; 7.7% organ meats; and 30.8% eggs. Those who earned a monthly income of ≥GHC 500 or US$ 87 (B = 1.82; 0.90–2.73; p < 0.001 ) significantly had higher dietary diversity scores compared to those who earned less. Dietary diversity of the pregnant women was suboptimal. The consumption of vitamin A- and iron-rich foods was inadequate. Income was an important determinant of the dietary diversity of pregnant women from Northern rural Ghana.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Guja ◽  
Yabsira Melaku ◽  
Eshetu Andarge

Meeting minimum standards of dietary quality in mothers and children is a challenge in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Emerging evidence suggests that maternal and child dietary diversity is associated, but little is known about the associated factors of concordance of mother-child dietary diversity in Ethiopia and none is documented in the study area. This study examines the concordance between mother-child (6–23 months) dyads dietary diversity and the associated factors in Kucha District, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 791 mother-child (6–23 months) pairs from 11 selected kebeles on March 6 to April 13, 2017. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. The sampling frame was obtained from the family folder of health posts in each kebele. The mother-child pairs were selected by the simple random sampling method. The 7 food groups of the World Health Organization (WHO) for children and the 10 food groups of FANTA/FAO 2016 for mothers were used to analyze the dietary diversity. Cohen’s kappa statistics was calculated to see the strength of concordance. The multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to determine factors affecting mother-child dietary diversity concordance. A good concordance was noted between mother-child dietary diversity scores (Kappa = 0.43). Only 56 (7.1%) mothers were negative deviants, and 133 (16.8%) mothers were positive deviants in dietary diversity consumption. Rural residence (AOR = 3.49; 95% CI: 1.90–6.41), having no formal education (AOR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.08–3.05), not owning milking cow (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.10–2.56), children with low dietary diversity (AOR = 8.23; 95% CI: 5.17–13.08), and mothers with low dietary diversity (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.29–0.74) were found to be factors associated with mother-child dietary diversity concordance. An increase in the percentage of children reaching the minimum dietary diversity was greater with a successive increase in maternal dietary diversity. Despite interesting similarities between mothers and children dietary consumption, more than three-quarters of concordants did not achieve the recommended dietary diversity score (were low concordants). Interventions targeting on rural women’s access to high school education, home-based milking cow rearing, and promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture to meet the dietary requirements of mothers and children in a sustainable manner and public health efforts to improve child nutrition may be strengthened by promoting maternal dietary diversity due to its potential effect on the entire family.


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