Health and Safety Technical Support Project Report

The African Women's Development Fund's Health and Safety Technical Support Project provided food and health safety technical support to 11 small - medium sized women's rights organisations in Ghana engaged in food production and processing activities.The training programme offers useful and practical help to women food producers and processors to ensure a safe and healthy environment at work, in line with the International Labour Organization's Safe Work mandate, which aims to create worldwide awareness of the dimensions and consequences of work-related accidents, injuries and diseases

A review of dairy production and utilization in Ghana and Benin

Abstract High dairy production and utilization have proven very effective in improving food and nutrition security in society, especially among the rural poor. This review sought to find out the status of dairy production and utilization in Ghana and Benin, the challenges, and the way forward. The review discovered low dairy production in both countries which meets only about 19% (Ghana) and 20% (Benin) of dairy demand. This low self-sufficiency compels both countries to depend heavily on imported dairy products to meet consumers’ dairy needs. However, dairy consumption in both countries is still abysmally low (Ghana = 9 kg/person/year, Benin = 8 kg/person/year). Cow milk is the most regarded and consumed animal milk in both states and is consumed both raw and processed. Local dairy products include “wagashi” (local soft cheese), yoghurt and “brukina”/“dèguè” (fermented milk-millet beverage). Some of the challenges found include low patronage of dairy farming, low-performing breeds, safety issues, inadequate sustainable pro-dairy policies, water and pasture/forage shortages, inadequate infrastructure, poor education, unorganized local sector and climate change. However, adopting effective pro-dairy policies, effective safety and quality regulations, smart dairy farming and processing and exploring other dairy options like goat, sheep, and donkey milk is key to improving dairy production and utilization in both countries and beyond

Annual Economic Contributions of The University of Arizona, Department of Nutritional Sciences — Cooperative Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — Education Spending

This report summarizes the total annual economic contributions of the UA SNAP-Ed program spending, including multiplier effects, to the Arizona economy for fiscal years 2013-2016. Although presented together in this study, results provide a snapshot of economic activity in a given year and are therefore not cumulative over time. Updates to this study will occur annually, as data become available

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Nutrition Network’s Contribution to the Arizona Economy in 2014

6 pp.The Arizona Nutrition Network (AzNN) is a public/private partnership engaged in a statewide effort to encourage healthy eating, increase physical activity, and achieve appropriate caloric balance for healthy body weights. The AzNN programmatic activities target people in low-income households that receive or are eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. An integral partner in this statewide effort is the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Nutrition Network (UANN), one of several local implementing agencies (LIAs) that conduct Supplemental Nutrition Assistance – Education (SNAP-Ed) programming throughout the state. The UANN receives funding from the AzNN to deliver nutrition and physical activity education programs to Arizona communities and implement policy, systems, and environmental approaches for obesity prevention

Types of indigenous vegetables consumed, preparation, preferences and perceived benefits in Ghana

Indigenous vegetables (IVs) are rich sources of essential nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals, and other non-nutritive phytochemicals. IVs play a critical role in the food culture of the Ghanaian people. Despite their importance, they have over the years been mostly associated with the resource-poor. In this study, the types of IVs, preparation preferences, frequency of consumption and some perceived benefits ascribed by some Ghanaian consumers (n = 1393) were investigated in a cross-sectional survey. Descriptive analysis and a chi-square test of independence were conducted to summarise and determine the relationship between gender, age and consumption frequency of the IVs. The study identified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) leaves, jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) and garden egg (Solanum melongena) as the popular IVs consumed by respondents. Among these, about 13.3% of women and 15.3% of men indicated they consume okra. Eight per cent of the women respondents and 6.7% of the men consumed jute mallow. Almost 57% of the respondents said the IVs were used to prepare stew and soup. More than a third (39%) of the respondents indicated that they consumed the IVs either daily or more than once a week. Women respondents’ frequency of IVs consumption was significantly different [X2 (4, n = 1393) = 30.11, p = 0.000] from the men. The frequency of consumption of IVs for the elderly was significantly higher [X2 (12, n = 1393) = 30.53, p = 0.002] as compared to the younger respondents. The main perceived benefits of IVs were nutrition- and health-related. The major barriers to the consumption of IVs were cost, non-availability, palatability and cultural. The IVs were largely wet-cooked and consumed as stews or sauces and soups. These findings form good bases for further empirical studies on the nutritional and other health-benefiting attributes of the specific IVs found in this study for sustainable promotion and utilisation in Ghana

Evidence-based health informatics as the foundation for the COVID-19 response: a joint call for action

Background: As a major public health crisis, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrates the urgent need for safe, effective, and evidence-based implementations of digital health. The urgency stems from the frequent tendency to focus attention on seemingly high promising digital health interventions despite being poorly validated in times of crisis. Aim: In this paper, we describe a joint call for action to use and leverage evidence- based health informatics as the foundation for the COVID-19 response and public health interventions. Tangible examples are provided for how the working groups and special interest groups of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) are helping to build an evidence-based response to this crisis. Methods: Leaders of working and special interest groups of the IMIA, a total of 26 groups, were contacted via e-mail to provide a summary of the scientific-based efforts taken to combat COVID-19 pandemic and participate in the discussion toward the creation of this manuscript. A total of 13 groups participated in this manuscript. Results: Various efforts were exerted by members of IMIA including (1) developing evidence-based guidelines for the design and deployment of digital health solutions during COVID-19; (2) surveying clinical informaticians internationally about key digital solutions deployed to combat COVID-19 and the challenges faced when implementing and using them; and (3) offering necessary resources for clinicians about the use of digital tools in clinical practice, education, and research during COVID-19. Discussion: Rigor and evidence need to be taken into consideration when designing, implementing, and using digital tools to combat COVID-19 to avoid delays and unforeseen negative consequences. It is paramount to employ a multidisciplinary approach for the development and implementation of digital health tools that have been rapidly deployed in response to the pandemic bearing in mind human factors, ethics, data privacy, and the diversity of context at the local, national, and international levels. The training and capacity building of front-line workers is crucial and must be linked to a clear strategy for evaluation of ongoing experiences