557 research outputs found
The National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS): South Africa, 1999
Get PDFObjective: The aim of the National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) in South Africa was to determine the nutrient intakes and anthropometric status of children (1-9 years old), as well as factors that influence their dietary intake. Design: This was a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of all children aged 1-9 years in South Africa. A nationally representative sample with provincial representation was selected using 1996 Census information. Subjects: Of the 3120 children who were originally sampled data were obtained from 2894, a response rate of 93%. Methods: The sociodemographic status of each household was assessed by a questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed by means of a 24-hour recall and a food-frequency questionnaire from the caregivers of the children. Food purchasing practices were determined by means of a food procurement questionnaire. Hunger was assessed by a modified hunger scale questionnaire. Nutritional status was determined by means of anthropometric measurements: height, weight, head circumference and arm circumference. Results: At the national level, stunting (height-for-age below minus two standard deviations (< -2SD) from the reference median) was by far the most common nutritional disorder, affecting nearly one in five children. The children least affected (17%) were those living in urban areas. Even with regard to the latter, however, children living in informal urban areas were more severely affected (20%) compared with those living in formal urban areas (16%). A similar pattern emerged for the prevalence of underweight (weight-for-age < -2SD), with one in 10 children being affected at the national level. Furthermore, one in 10 (13%) and one in four (26%) children aged 1-3 years had an energy intake less than half and less than two-thirds of their daily energy needs, respectively. For South African children as a whole, the intakes of energy, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamins A, D, C and E, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folic acid were below two-thirds of the Recommended Dietary Allowances. At the national level, data from the 24-hour recalls indicated that the most commonly consumed food items were maize, sugar, tea, whole milk and brown bread. For South African children overall, one in two households (52%) experienced hunger, one in four (23%) were at risk of hunger and only one in four households (25%) appeared food-secure. Conclusion: The NFCS indicated that a large majority of households were food-insecure and that energy deficit and micronutrient deficiencies were common, resulting in a high prevalence of stunting. These results were used as motivation for the introduction of mandatory fortification in South Africa. Ā© The Authors 2005.Conference Pape
Determination of a brief AUDIT screening questionnaire to identify women at risk of harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption in primary care settings
Get PDFAbstract Background: Alcohol consumption in South Africa is a major contributing factor to the quadruple burden of disease. Additionally, South Africa has the highest rate of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world. As effective interventions are available for hazardous and harmful drinking, screening for this behaviour in primary care can potentially contribute to improving health outcomes and reducing the cost to society. Existing validated screening questionnaires are available to identify those who drink at hazardous or harmful levels. However, no tools have been validated for women of childbearing age in South Africa. Any screening tools recommended for implementation should be as brief as possible with high sensitivity and specificity to justify the time spent on screening and minimise time spent on false positive results.
Objectives: To identify the most appropriate existing abbreviated version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire for South African women aged 18-44 and determine whether adjustments are required for urban/rural residence or patterns of consumption (binge drinking vs non-binge drinking). Additionally, to determine whether a single question can be used to identify possible dependent drinking.
Methods: An existing dataset was used for the analysis, collected by means of household surveys conducted in 2006 in rural areas of the Western Cape and urban areas in Gauteng, South Africa. The Western Cape sample was selected by stratified random sampling of farm workers and the Gauteng sample was selected by cluster random sampling. AUROC analysis was used to compare the abbreviated questionnaires (AUDIT-C, AUDIT-3, AUDIT-4, AUDIT-PC, AUDIT-QF), CAGE and single questions to results of the full AUDIT screening questionnaire as the gold standard. Data was stratified in relation to binge drinking and the analyses repeated to determine any effect of drinking patterns on the results.
Results: AUDIT-4 and AUDIT-PC were the best performing brief questionnaires in both rural and urban settings. AUDIT-4 had AUCs of 97.52% and 96.87% in Western Cape and Gauteng respectively. AUDIT-PC had scores of 97.52% and 93.98% in Western Cape and Gauteng respectively. Stratification by drinking pattern did not substantially influence the results. The single question method of identification of possible dependent drinking is not supported by the results of this study, with AUCs of < 75%.
Conclusion: AUDIT-4 appears to be the best brief questionnaire for the identification of hazardous and harmful drinking among women aged 18-44 in South Africa, with no adjustments required for urban/rural settings or drinking patterns
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