The effect of a combination of nutrition education, soy and vegetable gardening, and food preparation skill training interventions on dietary intake and diversity in women: a case study from Qwa-Qwa

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine if an integrated food and nutrition intervention, including home gardening, nutrition education and recipe development and training, would improve dietary diversity in women.Design: This was a single-system case study.Setting: The study setting was peri-urban Qwa-Qwa, Free State province, South Africa.Subjects: Fifty randomly selected women were included in the study from three purposively selected tribes.Outcome measures: Three 24-hour recall questionnaires were used to determine dietary intake and nutrient adequacy, a dietary diversity questionnaire to calculate the dietary diversity scores (DDSs), and the Radimer-Cornell Hunger Scale questionnaire to ascertain food insecurity.Results: The median food variety score (FVS) was 23 at baseline, and improved significantly (p-value 0.002) to 29 at follow-up. Micronutrient intake was consistently low, despite the median adequacy ratio (MAR) improving significantly (p-value 0.002) from 0.49 to 0.63 at follow-up. Despite a significantly improved MAR at follow-up, the nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) for only three nutrients met 100% at follow-up, namely dietary iron, phosphate and vitamin B3. A strong significant positive correlation existed between FVS and the food group diversity score (r = 0.617, p-value 0.000). The FVS and DDS were higher in the food-secure group (n = 16, 32%) than in the food-insecure group (n = 34, 68%), but not significantly. Although most food groups were consumed by the women, limited foods from each group were included.Conclusion: Women in this resource-poor community lacked a variety of food in their diet, despite a high overall DDS. Thus, they had inadequate micronutrient intake and adequacy. A combination of nutrition education, soy and vegetable gardening, and food preparation skill training interventions, seemed to positively influence the nutrient adequacy and overall dietary diversity of the women participating in this study

Arsenic, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, selenium and zinc in the tissues of the largemouth yellowfish, Labeobarbus kimberleyensis (Gilchrist and Thompson, 1913), from the Vaal Dam, South Africa, and associated consumption risks

This paper addresses the accumulation of trace elements in the water, sediment and tissues of Labeobarbus kimberleyensis from the Vaal Dam, South Africa. Fish were collected from the Vaal Dam during February to April 2011. Five organs, water and sediment were collected and trace element concentrations were measured with an ICP-MS. Target hazard quotients were calculated to assess the human health risk associated with consuming muscle tissue of this fish species. Trace element levels for Cu, Fe and Mn were higher in water and sediment compared to L. kimberleyensis. Sediment element levels were highest compared to water and fish. Clear trends in element accumulation by the different organs were observed. Liver and kidney accumulated the highest element concentrations, followed by the gills, muscle and spinal cord. Bioconcentration factors further supported the observation that trace element accumulation was lower in fish compared to sediment. The high sediment element levels indicate that there is a low bioavailability of elements for accumulation by biota in the Vaal Dam. Target hazard quotient determination indicated that risk associated with the consumption of muscle tissue fromL. kimberleyensis was low for most elements, except Cr and Se. Element levels in L. kimberleyensis, water and sediment have increased compared to previous studies on the Vaal Dam.Keywords: bioaccumulation; Labeobarbus kimberleyensis; risk assessment; target hazard quotient; trace element; Vaal Dam; water qualit

Uptake of selected metals in tissues and organs of Clarias gariepinus (sharptooth catfish) from the Vaal River System – Chromium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc

This paper discusses concentrations of 5 essential trace metals (chromium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc) in water, sediment and various fish (C. gariepinus) tissues. With the exception of high Zn concentrations in skin, the highest essential element metal concentrations were generally recorded in liver and gill arch tissues, followed by gill filaments and lastly skin and muscle. This general trend is in agreement with trends reported by other workers. Fe concentrations were found to be significantly higher at the Vaal Dam more often than at the Vaal Barrage. In comparison, Mn concentrations were higher at the Vaal River Barrage more often than at the Vaal Dam. No clear trends emerged with regard to differences between localities for the other metals, or between surveys/seasons for all essential trace metals examined. The likely reason for the lack of distinct trends is the amount of variability observed in tissue metal concentrations within localities and seasons in this study. Such variability is also reflected in current literature and accentuates the importance of both abiotic (e.g. physical water quality variables) and biotic (e.g. host physiological status, general biology and life history traits) factors influencing the concentrations and bioavailability of trace metals

Histomorphology of the digestive tract of Chonopeltis australis (Crustacea: Branchiura)

The morphology and histology of the digestive tract of the branchiuran crustacean, Chonopeltis australis Box shall, 1976 are described from serial sections. The foregut is differentiated into a preoral cavity, containing the mandibles and tongue, an ascending oesophagus, with an H-shaped lumen invested with longitudinal, circular and dilator muscles, a horizontal oesophagus with a star-shaped lumen and lacking longitudinal and dilator muscles, and an oesophageal funnel consisting of inner and recurrent walls. The midgut is differentiated into anterior and posterior chambers, separated by an S-shaped muscular tube. The arborescent midgut glands open laterally into the anterior part of the anterior midgut. Columnar epithelial cells line the anterior midgut whereas tall, papilliform cells are present in the epithelium of the posterior midgut. The transition from posterior midgut to hindgut is marked by the presence of very tall epithelial cells. The terminology describing the various parts of the digestive tract of branchiurans is discussed

Trace element accumulation and human health risk assessment of Labeo capensis (Smith, 1841) from the Vaal Dam reservoir, South Africa

This paper aimed to determine the trace element concentrations within water, sediment and tissues of the Orange River mudfish Labeo capensis (Smith, 1841) collected from the Vaal Dam reservoir, and to assess potential risks associated with the consumption of L. capensis muscle tissue. The study was undertaken in March 2013; 22 L. capensis were collected with the aid of gill nets. Water and sediment samples were collected on site, and additional water analysis data for the sampling period were  received from Rand Water Analytical Facility in Vereeniging. Analysis of water revealed trace elements were present at trace levels. The comparison of trace element concentrations between the water, sediment and fish tissues revealed that the sediment contains the highest concentrations, followed by fish tissues and water. This trend exists as a result of the underlying geology of the Vaal Dam, the physiological and biological  characteristics of L. capensis, and the physicochemical state of the water. The risk assessment performed on the muscle tissue revealed that As and Se had total hazard quotient (THQ) values greater than one, and that the levels of As and Se were above the safety threshold values for human consumption.Keywords: Vaal Dam, Labeo capensis, trace element accumulation, bioaccumulation, health risks, target health quotien

Change in soy and nutrition knowledge and perceptions of smallholder South African farmers after attending a single one day soy nutrition training workshop: A pilot study

The main aim of this pilot study was to assess smallholder soy farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of soy immediately before and after participating in a one-day soy nutrition training workshop. A pre-post study design was used among a convenience sample of 78soy smallholder farmers from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (SA). A total of 78 men and five women participated in the training, but  because only five women attended, gender comparison analysis was not carried out. A soy nutrition training workshop, including soy cooking demonstrations, tasting, recipe development, that is based on the Social Cognitive Theory, was implemented for eight  consecutive hours with one break of 30 minutes. Pre- and post-quantitative data measuring,soy knowledge and perceptions werecollected using a modified version of a survey, tested for face and content validity and reliability, and used previously in other research study projects by the same authors among low-resource communities in SA. The data from the pre and post questionnaires indicated that only 41% of the soy smallholder farmers used soy in the household and mainly in meat dishes. The rest of the harvested soy was either sold or used for animal feed. The mean±standard deviation (SD) score of taste preference changed significantly (p=0.002) from 4.60±0.84 before, to 4.93±0.13 after the training (p=0.002) and the majority of the participants perceived it was easy to prepare soy foods; 82.1% and 88.5% before and after the training, respectively (p=0.013). Participants’ soy knowledge improved significantly (p<0.001) from a mean± (SD) score of 26.33±4.06 before to 32.00±9.46 after the intervention, indicating a significant improvement of 5.67±9.11 [13.83%] in the total score. The results from this study indicate that there is a need for nutrition education programs for smallholder farmers. Thus, improvement in both soy knowledge and preference should result in more soy being consumed first for household nutritional needs before giving it to either animals or sell it on the market. Since smallholder farmers’ nutrition education can impact both food insecurity and nutritional status improvement in one setting, more interventions of this kind are needed to further advance the frontier of this niche area of research. Key words: nutrition education, smallholder famers, soy training, South Africa emerging farmers, Knowledge perceptio

Cyanobacterial Incident Management Frameworks (CIMFs) for application by drinking water suppliers

Cyanobacteria are commonly found in freshwater systems that are the source waters for the production of drinking water. This is of special importance to the drinking water suppliers as several genera of cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins that can affect human health. The possibility that drinking water can be a cyanobacterial-exposure route has resulted in the development of Cyanobacterial Incident Frameworks (CIMFs) that will guide water treatment managers to deal pro-actively with cyanobacteria and their associated toxins in source water by using a step-by-step alert levels framework to ensure provision of safe drinking water. In this paper two CIMF models are described, namely a CIMF model using cyanobacteria identification and enumeration as a primary trigger; and a CIMF model using chlorophyll a as primary trigger. These frameworks are based on the same principle, but differ in minor actions taken, especially at the lower alert levels. It is envisaged that the developed CIMFs would be the platform on which to evaluate the capacity to manage a cyanobacterial incident. Based on the requirements stipulated in the CIMFs and their assessment, the drinking water treatment works (DWTW) would then develop and implement their customised CIMFs.Keywords: cyanobacteria, Cyanobacterial Incident Management Framework (CIMF), drinking water, drinking water treatment works (DWTW), alert level

Household food security is associated with infant feeding practices in rural Bangladesh.

Although household food security (HHFS) has been shown to affect diet, nutrition, and health of adults and also learning in children, no study has examined associations with infant feeding practices (IFP). We studied 1343 infants born between May 2002 and December 2003 in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intervention in Matlab study to investigate the effect of HHFS on IFP in rural Bangladesh. We measured HHFS using a previously developed 11-item scale. Cumulative and current infant feeding scales were created from monthly infant feeding data for the age groups of 1-3, 1-6, 1-9, and 1-12 mo based on comparison to infant feeding recommendations. We used lagged, dynamic, and difference longitudinal regression models adjusting for various infant and maternal variables to examine the association between HHFS and changes in IFP, and Cox proportional hazards models to examine the influence of HHFS on the duration of breast-feeding and the time of introduction of complementary foods. Better HHFS status was associated with poor IFP during 3-6 mo but was associated with better IFP during 6-9 and 9-12 mo of age. Although better HHFS was not associated with the time of introduction of complementary foods, it was associated with the type of complementary foods given to the infants. Intervention programs to support proper IFP should target mothers in food-secure households when their babies are 3-6 mo old and also mothers in food-insecure households during the 2nd half of infancy. Our results provide strong evidence that HHFS influences IFP in rural Bangladesh

How diverse is the diet of adult South Africans?

The original publication is available at http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/33Abstract. Background. The objective of the current study was to measure dietary diversity in South Africans aged 16 years and older from all population groups as a proxy of food security. Methods. A cross-sectional study representative of adults from all specified ages, provinces, geographic localities, and socio-economic strata in South Africa was used (n = 3287). Trained interviewers visited participants at their homes during the survey. Dietary data was collected by means of a face validated 24 hour recall which was not quantified. A dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated by counting each of 9 food groups. A DDS <4 was regarded as reflecting poor dietary diversity and poor food security. Results The provinces with the highest prevalence of poor dietary diversity (DDS <4) were Limpopo (61.8%) and the Eastern Cape (59.6%). By contrast, only 15.7% of participants in Western Cape had a low score. Participants in tribal areas (63.9%) and informal urban areas (55.7%) were by far the worst affected. There were significant differences in DDS by Living Standards Mean (LSM) analysis (p < 0.05) with the lowest LSM group having the lowest mean DDS (2.93).The most commonly consumed food groups were cereals/roots; meat/fish; dairy and vegetables other than vitamin A rich. Eggs, legumes, and vitamin A rich fruit and vegetables were the least consumed. Conclusion. Overall the majority of South Africans consumed a diet low in dietary variety. The tribal areas and informal urban areas were worst affected and eggs, legumes and vitamin A rich fruit and vegetables, were the least consumed.Publishers' versio

Trace Elements and Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes in Organisms from a Tropical Coastal Lagoon

Trace elements (Fe, Mn, Al, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As) and stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) were analyzed in sediments, invertebrates, and fishes from a tropical coastal lagoon influenced by iron ore mining and processing activities to assess the differences in trace element accumulation patterns among species and to investigate relations with trophic levels of the organisms involved. Overall significant negative relations between trophic level (given by 15N) and trace element concentrations in gastropods and crustaceans showed differences in internal controls of trace element accumulation among the species of different trophic positions, leading to trace element dilution. Generally, no significant relation between δ15N and trace element concentrations was observed among fish species, probably due to omnivory in a number of species as well as fast growth. Trace element accumulation was observed in the fish tissues, with higher levels of most trace elements found in liver compared with muscle and gill. Levels of Fe, Mn, Al, and Hg in invertebrates, and Fe and Cu in fish livers, were comparable with levels in organisms and tissues from other contaminated areas. Trace element levels in fish muscle were below the international safety baseline standards for human consumption