5 research outputs found
Complementary feeding practices among children under two years old in west Africa: a review
The burden of child malnutrition is still high in West African countries with 19.2 million stunted children and increases rapidly during the weaning period. This has been attributed to inappropriate complementary feeding practices. To our knowledge, few studies have tried to review the state of complementary feeding in the sub-region. This review aimed to provide an overview of current complementary feeding practices in West Africa in order to identify issues that should be targeted for ensuring optimal infant and young child nutrition. Articles and reports published from 2006 to 2016 were selected and reviewed. All documents were accessed through PubMed, Google scholar, and FreeFullPDF databases. Relevant and current documents focused on infant and young child (IYC) feeding from World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Childrenâs Fund (UNICEF) were identified by using electronic searches via the Google platform. Complementary feeding practices are suboptimal in West Africa compared to the Northern Africa. Porridges and family dishes are the two main categories of complementary foods given to children and there are nutritionally inadequate. Enriched flours have been developed by using local diversity of food resources and improved food process like dehulling, fermentation, germination, malting, but their use remains low. Socio-economic, cultural and geographical factors were the determinants influencing IYC feeding practices at mother and household levels. Besides food availability, social, cultural, economic and geographic determinants were interrelated in a complex way to affect child feeding practices. This paper contributes to a much-needed evidence-based focus on the state of complementary feeding practices. As a key component to child survival, the improvement of complementary feeding has been shown to be the most effective in enhancing child growth and reducing stunting. Stakeholders such as policy and decision-makers, development partners, the private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations should develop strategies for making enriched flours and nutritionally dense foods more accessible and affordable. Nutritional interventions should emphasize the promotion of adequate complementary feeding practices including feeding frequency, quality and quantity of diet and food safety in order to reduce malnutrition. Ongoing national plans and strategies for optimal IYC feeding should be encouraged to reduce child malnutrition.Keywords: complementary feeding, practices, determinants, nutrition plans, West Afric
Complementary feeding practices among children under two years old In West Africa: A review
The burden of child malnutrition is still high in West African countries with 19.2 million stunted children and increases rapidly during the weaning period. This has been attributed to inappropriate complementary feeding practices. To our knowledge, few studies have tried to review the state of complementary feeding in the sub-region. This review aimed to provide an overview of current complementary feeding practices in West Africa in order to identify issues that should be targeted for ensuring optimal infant and young child nutrition. Articles and reports published from 2006 to 2016 were selected and reviewed. All documents were accessed through PubMed, Google scholar, and FreeFullPDF databases. Relevant and current documents focused on infant and young child (IYC) feeding from World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) were identified by using electronic searches via the Google platform. Complementary feeding practices are suboptimal in West Africa compared to the Northern Africa. Porridges and family dishes are the two main categories of complementary foods given to children and there are nutritionally inadequate. Enriched flours have been developed by using local diversity of food resources and improved food process like dehulling, fermentation, germination, malting, but their use remains low. Socio-economic, cultural and geographical factors were the determinants influencing IYC feeding practices at mother and household levels. Besides food availability, social, cultural, economic and geographic determinants were interrelated in a complex way to affect child feeding practices. This paper contributes to a much-needed evidence-based focus on the state of complementary feeding practices. As a key component to child survival, the improvement of complementary feeding has been shown to be the most effective in enhancing child growth and reducing stunting. Stakeholders such as policy and decision-makers, development partners, the private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations should develop strategies for making enriched flours and nutritionally dense foods more accessible and affordable. Nutritional interventions should emphasize the promotion of adequate complementary feeding practices including feeding frequency, quality and quantity of diet and food safety in order to reduce malnutrition. Ongoing national plans and strategies for optimal IYC feeding should be encouraged to reduce child malnutrition. © 2018, African Scholarly Science Communications Trust (ASSCAT).Peer reviewe
Complementary feeding practices among children under two years old in west Africa: a review
The burden of child malnutrition is still high in West African countries with 19.2 million stunted children and increases rapidly during the weaning period. This has been attributed to inappropriate complementary feeding practices. To our knowledge, few studies have tried to review the state of complementary feeding in the sub-region. This review aimed to provide an overview of current complementary feeding practices in West Africa in order to identify issues that should be targeted for ensuring optimal infant and young child nutrition. Articles and reports published from 2006 to 2016 were selected and reviewed. All documents were accessed through PubMed, Google scholar, and FreeFullPDF databases. Relevant and current documents focused on infant and young child (IYC) feeding from World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Childrenâs Fund (UNICEF) were identified by using electronic searches via the Google platform. Complementary feeding practices are suboptimal in West Africa compared to the Northern Africa. Porridges and family dishes are the two main categories of complementary foods given to children and there are nutritionally inadequate. Enriched flours have been developed by using local diversity of food resources and improved food process like dehulling, fermentation, germination, malting, but their use remains low. Socio-economic, cultural and geographical factors were the determinants influencing IYC feeding practices at mother and household levels. Besides food availability, social, cultural, economic and geographic determinants were interrelated in a complex way to affect child feeding practices. This paper contributes to a much-needed evidence-based focus on the state of complementary feeding practices. As a key component to child survival, the improvement of complementary feeding has been shown to be the most effective in enhancing child growth and reducing stunting. Stakeholders such as policy and decision-makers, development partners, the private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations should develop strategies for making enriched flours and nutritionally dense foods more accessible and affordable. Nutritional interventions should emphasize the promotion of adequate complementary feeding practices including feeding frequency, quality and quantity of diet and food safety in order to reduce malnutrition. Ongoing national plans and strategies for optimal IYC feeding should be encouraged to reduce child malnutrition.Peer Revie
Assessment of production and marketing constraints and value chain of sweet potato in the municipalities of Dangbo and Bonou
Abstract Background Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] plays an important role in ensuring food security and incomes for local communities. It is particularly grown in southern region of Benin, and its production over the last few years has declined due to disease and severe pest infestation. Therefore, it was imperative to carry out this study to identify the main constraints related to the recent decline in sweet production and more specifically analyzing the production and marketing constraints of sweet potato in the townships of Dangbo and Bonou. Results The results of the survey revealed that many varieties of sweet potato were grown, mainly âVobodouahoâ (local name in Goun language), the most preferred variety by producers. Weedicides and insecticides were used to control weeds and insect pests, respectively. There was no efficient control methods against black rot, Alternaria blight, cylas spp., and caterpillar among the pathogens and insects that damaged sweet potato production in the study areas. The main constraints reducing sweet potato production in the townships of Dangbo and Bonou are: lack of adequate methods for controlling pest and diseases, lack of financial resources due to no access to credit, absence of modern equipment, scarcity and high cost of labor and absence of best methods for long-term storage. The average yield of sweet production per hectare ranged from 6.5 to 15.1 tons fresh matter/ha. The market value of sweet potato is still low at farmersâ level when compared to that of other stakeholders along the value chain. Conclusion This study calls for the attention of public and private sectors and policy makers for more investment in sweet potato research. Avenues for further research on sweet potato have also been suggested
Mass concentration, optical depth and carbon composition of particulate matter in the major southern West African cities of Cotonou (Benin) and Abidjan (CĂŽte d'Ivoire)
Air quality degradation is a major issue in the large conurbations on
the shore of the Gulf of Guinea. We present for the first time
PM2.5 time series collected in Cotonou, Benin, and Abidjan,
CÎte d'Ivoire, from February 2015 to March 2017. Measurements were
performed in the vicinity of major combustion aerosol sources:
Cotonou/traffic (CT), Abidjan/traffic (AT), Abidjan/landfill (AL) and
Abidjan/domestic fires (ADF). We report the weekly PM2.5 mass and
carbonaceous content as elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon
concentrations. We also measure the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the
Ă
ngström exponent in both cities. The average PM2.5 mass
concentrations were 32âŻÂ±âŻ32, 32âŻÂ±âŻ24 and
28âŻÂ±âŻ19âŻÂ”gâmâ3 at traffic sites CT and AT and landfill
site AL, respectively. The domestic fire site shows a concentration of
145âŻÂ±âŻ69âŻÂ”gâmâ3 due to the contribution of smoking and
roasting activities. The highest OC and EC concentrations were also measured
at ADF at 71âŻÂ±âŻ29 and 15âŻÂ±âŻ9âŻÂ”gâmâ3,
respectively, while the other sites present OC concentration between 8 and
12âŻÂ”gâmâ3 and EC concentrations between 2 and
7âŻÂ”gâmâ3. The OCâŻââŻEC ratio is 4.3 at CT and 2.0 at AT.
This difference highlights the influence of two-wheel vehicles using gasoline
in Cotonou compared to that of four-wheel vehicles using diesel fuel in
Abidjan. AOD was rather similar in both cities, with a mean value of 0.58 in
Cotonou and of 0.68 in Abidjan. The seasonal cycle is dominated by the large
increase in surface mass concentration and AOD during the long dry season
(DecemberâFebruary) as expected due to mineral dust advection and biomass
burning activities. The lowest concentrations are observed during the short
dry season (AugustâSeptember) due to an increase in surface wind speed
leading to a better ventilation. On the other hand, the high
PM2.5âŻââŻAOD ratio in the short wet season (OctoberâNovember)
indicates the stagnation of local pollution