Nutrient intake and consumption of indigenous foods among college students in Limpopo Province

Objective. To determine the habitual diet and the consumption of indigenous foods among college students in Limpopo province. Design. The sample consisted of 37 healthy student volunteers (18 males and 19 females) aged 23.3 ±2.38 years, with a body mass index of 22.7 ±2.32 kg/m2. A validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to collect information on the habitual diet of the participants. Nutrient analysis was done using FoodFinder. Results. Mean dietary intakes were 10 042 kJ, 16.3% protein energy, 28.9% fat energy and 54.8% carbohydrate energy for females, and 12 050 kJ, 16.7% protein energy, 26.4% fat energy and 56.9% carbohydrate energy for males. The contribution of fat, carbohydrate and protein to total energy intake was similar for males and females. Frequency of food item consumption varied among students with indigenous foods consumed less often. Consumption of indigenous foods was similar in male and female subjects. Conclusion. The habitual diet of the college students was estimated, and compared favourably with other reported data. However, patterns of indigenous food consumption were difficult to estimate. Although the number of indigenous foods used was high at 28 of 60 food items, consumption in terms of both quantity and the total number of students consuming these foods was low. Further studies are needed to determine the patterns of indigenous food intake and the contribution of these foods to total nutrient intake. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 18 (1) 2005: 32-3

Nutrition knowledge and care practices of home-based caregivers in Vhembe District, South Africa

Background: Home-based care is provided to clients in their homes to promote and maintain good health, hygiene and nutrition. Objective: This study assessed nutrition knowledge and care practices of home-based caregivers in Vhembe District, South Africa. Methods: The design was cross sectional, descriptive and exploratory using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Multistage sampling was used, with convenient selection of two municipalities from four, eight home-based care agencies randomly selected from 96 agencies, 128 caregivers conveniently selected for interviews, 92 caregivers selected for focus group discussions and 28 caregivers selected for observation during home visits. Demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge and care practices were evaluated using questionnaires, interview guides and observational checklists. Data were analysed using SPSS 22 and thematic analysis for qualitative data. Results: caregivers (99.2%) were women, 68.7% had secondary education and all had received 59-day training and 64.1% had six to ten years of home-based care experience. Only 0.8% had adequate nutrition knowledge, 45.3% satisfactory knowledge and 53.9% limited to no knowledge. Most care practices reported during the focus group discussions were not observed during home visits. Conclusion: Nutrition knowledge and care practices of HBC in Vhembe District were found to be inadequate. The nutrition content in the training package should be improved

Indigenous foods and their contribution to nutrient requirements

CITATION: Mbhenyane, X. G. 2017. Indigenous foods and their contribution to nutrient requirements. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 30(4):5-7.The original publication is available at http://www.sajcn.co.zaIndigenous plants grow spontaneously in natural ecosystems and have been serving human kind as food and medicine in almost all societies for generations.¹´² It is recognised³ that indigenous foods and dietary diversity within an ecosystem can be powerful sources of nutrients and thus are better for health. It has been proposed that indigenous foods can play a major role in enhancing quality of diets and improving food and nutrition security.⁴ Despite this assertation, the use of indigenous foods has declined due to the nonavailability of these foods in modern commercialised and industrialised markets and lack of investment in research and development. The indigenous crops have been largely ignored by commercial farming, research and development, thus becoming less competitive than well-established major crops, and losing gradually their diversity and the associated traditional knowledge.⁵ The new South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines emphasise the food value of indigenous crops by the message they impart “must be realistic, do-able, promoting indigenous and traditional foods”.⁶http://www.sajcn.co.za/index.php/SAJCN/article/view/1299Publishers versio

Socio-cultural beliefs influence feeding practices of mothers and their children in Grand Popo, Benin

CITATION: Lokossou, Y. U. A. 2021. Socio-cultural beliefs influence feeding practices of mothers and their children in Grand Popo, Benin. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 40:33, doi:10.1186/s41043-021-00258-7.The original publication is available at https://jhpn.biomedcentral.comPublication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access FundBackground: Malnutrition is a major public health problem. It contributes to the high death rate among children in developing countries despite the various advocacies of institutions such as WHO and FAO and many other organisations. More research needs to be done in order to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The aim of this study was to explore socio-cultural practices and their influence on feeding practices of mothers and their children in Grand Popo, Benin. Methods: A qualitative research methodology was used with an inductive approach. A pretested discussion guide was used to conduct focus group discussions with participants in their local language. Four focus group discussions were held in 4 villages located in both the rural and the semi-urban areas with each focus group comprising seven to eight participants. The study protocol was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed and translated to English. The data was analysed following the Creswell data analysis steps. Results: All the children were breastfed, and 56.1% of children under 6 months received breast milk exclusively. Children were introduced to family foods at 5 months with very low consumption of animal protein and fruits. Mothers and children had monotonous diets with high consumption of vegetables and maize-based meals. Food taboos, particularly during pregnancy, were revealed. Those cultural beliefs were still followed by some mothers, and food rich in nutrients were pushed aside. Conclusions: There is a need for educational interventions to raise awareness of the negative impacts of some socio-cultural practices on the health of the mother and child.https://jhpn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41043-021-00258-7Publisher's versio

Iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa

CITATION: Mabasa, E. et al. 2019. Iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 32(3):76-82. doi:10.1080/16070658.2018.1449370The original publication is available at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ojcn20/currentObjectives: The aim of the study was to assess the iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani District. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting: The setting was primary health care clinics and households from five municipalities of Mopani District in Limpopo province. Subjects: A total of 565 conveniently selected pregnant women and 116 children aged 6 to 12 years were recruited, of which 116 were mother–child pairs. Methods: The demographic information, iodine nutrition knowledge and salt consumption patterns were obtained using a validated questionnaire. Spot urine, household drinking water and salt samples were collected and analysed for iodine using standard procedures. A professional nurse, using filter paper to determine thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, collected spot finger-stick blood samples from pregnant women. Results: The findings showed that only 52.5% of household salt had an iodine concentration level of more than and equal to 15 ppm. The median iodine concentration of household drinking water was 46.2 μg/l (interquartile range [IQR] 10.8–73.4 μg/l). The TSH levels of the majority of pregnant women were normal and the maternal overall median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 164 μg/l (IQR 92–291 μg/l), indicating maternal iodine sufficiency. However, median UIC in the first and third trimesters was below 150 μg/l, indicating iodine insufficiency. The UIC level of children in the study was 386 μg/l (IQR 200–525 μg/l), signifying iodine excess. Conclusion: Iodine status of pregnant women in this study was sufficient, with UIC for children excessively high, more than two times higher than the iodine status of pregnant women. The reasons for the excessive UIC in school-age children need to be elucidated.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16070658.2018.1449370Publisher’s versio

Socioeconomic determinants influencing nutritional status of children in Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province in South Africa

CITATION: Phooko-Rabodiba, D. A., et al. 2019. Socioeconomic determinants influencing nutritional status of children in Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. Journal of Nutrition and Health, 5(1):01-07.The original publication is available at https://www.avensonline.orgSouth Africa has adequate food supplies to feed the entire population at national level. However, reports have shown evidence of under-nutrition among certain parts of the population due to lack of access. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between socioeconomic status of the household and the nutritional status of children one to twelve years (1-12 years) in Sekhukhune district of Limpopo Province. The study used exploratory designs. A structured interviewer-led questionnaire was used to determine socio-economic parameters and standard anthropometric procedures. All analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. A total number of 180 mother-child pairs participated in the study. The sample distribution for children was 46.1% male and 53.9% females. Most mothers were unemployed and spent less than 500.00 ZAR (≈50 USD) per month to purchase food for the household. There was a high (39.6%) prevalence of stunting among children under the age of 60 months, a medium prevalence of underweight, and a low prevalence of wasting in all children. Most caregivers were overweight or obese. Maternal level of education and household income was significantly associated with anthropometric status indicators (p<0.05). This study revealed a high rate of unemployment, poor household income and purchasing power, and high level of food insecurity. This might have contributed to the high prevalence of stunting and a medium prevalence of underweight recorded in the study. There is urgent need to address basic needs to improve access to nutrient rich foods and health care.https://www.avensonline.org/fulltextarticles/JNH-2469-4185-05-0039.html#Title-infoPublisher's versio

Food security and related health risk among adults in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Food insecurity, obesity and hypertension remain major public health issues related to nutrition in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine household food security and the health risk of the adult population in the Limpopo Province using cross-sectional designs. A stratified random sampling method was used to recruit adults aged 18 to 65 years in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Data were collected using a validated, structured questionnaire. All data were analysed using SPSS version 25.0. The study included 640 participants with an average age of 36.2±17.6 years and a household size of five persons; 74.5% of participants fell in the low monthly income bracket (≤ZAR3000). The mean dietary diversity score was 3.99 (CI: 2.79–5.19). The prevalence of food insecurity was 31.3%, obesity 35.2% and hypertension 32.3%. Being a woman, older and married significantly positively influenced obesity and hypertension. Also, a healthy eating lifestyle such as high dietary diversity was found to positively influence obesity status, while daily eating of fruit and vegetables positively significantly influenced the hypertension status of participants (p&lt;0.05). Food insecurity, obesity and hypertension rates remain high among adults in the Limpopo Province of South Africa with consumption of a diet low in dietary variety. Aged and married women were more likely to be obese and hypertensive, while daily fruit and vegetable intake were found to be a protective factor. Educational and nutritional intervention should be designed and geared towards promoting fruit and vegetable intake in the community.Significance: Households had a diet low in dietary variety, with dietary diversity revealed as a determinant of health risk. Dietary diversity is inversely correlated with household food security. The findings also identified household determinants of obesity and hypertension, which are major public health issues in South Africa

The consumption of indigenous fruits and vegetables and health risk in rural subjects of Limpopo province, South Africa

Indigenous foods contain phytochemicals that are linked to protection against the development of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Some of these indigenous foods have been chemically analysed and contain active compounds such as organic sulphur, hypoglycaemic alkaloids, flavonoids, phytosterin glycosides and polyacetylenes. The article is based on an explanatory study that was carried out to determine the consumption of indigenous fruit and vegetables, and health risk in rural subjects. Subjects were selected from twenty-four (24) villages in the five former districts of Limpopo Province. In Phase One, dietary consumption of the indigenous fruit and vegetables was collected from 703 subjects and health risk and presence of other chronic diseases of lifestyle were determined in the subjects. The study was done during 2002-2005. Phase Two is underway where the identified foods are being analysed for phytochemical composition. Sixteen indigenous vegetables were consumed by between 33% and 92.5% while 15 indigenous fruits were consumed by 32.3% to 81.5% when in season and accessible. There was no significant difference in health risk in subjects (p&lt;0.05). Group one consisted of subjects who reported having consumed indigenous fruits and vegetables at least once a week (frequently) while group two consisted of those who consumed them occasionally (once in three months or seasonally).Keywords: Indigenous foods, consumption, health risk