The quality of water in small community supplies of Kingolwira village, Morogoro, Tanzania

Water quality is an important aspect in human health, as the majority of infectious diseases that cause morbidity and mortality in population are water related. The present study was undertaken to assess the quality of water in Kingolwira, Morogoro Rural District, Tanzania. Water was collected from different sites in the village and analysed for a period of six months. Physical, chemical and microbiological qualities of water were examined. The pH of the water ranged from 7.02 to 7.20 and the water temperature ranged from 25.7°C to 27.0°C. The total dissolved solids of the water samples ranged from 110 to 510 ppm. The water contained considerable levels of lead and copper ranging from 0.034 to 0.090 ppm and 0.022 to 0.030 ppm, respectively. Total water hardness ranged from 19.60 to 228.10 ppm as calcium carbonate. The total viable counts and faecal coliform counts ranged from 2.75x103 to 5.4 x 103 c.f.u/ml and 0.93 x102 to 2.1x102 counts/100ml, respectively. Overall, water supplies in the village were judged as of poor quality. Water is usually used for domestic purposes including cooking, drinking, washing and preparation of infant foods without any treatment. In conclusion therefore, water in Kingolwira village is of poor quality and needs to be treated before consumption. Theres is also a need for the rural population to be educated on hazards of using untreated water. In general, sanitary facilities in rural areas in Tanzania need to be improved in order to avoid health hazards

Studies on the preservation of mbege an indigenous fermented beverage in Tanzania

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The quality of water in small community supplies of Kingolwira village, Morogoro, Tanzania

Water quality is an important aspect in human health, as the majority of infectious diseases that cause morbidity and mortality in population are water related. The present study was undertaken to assess the quality of water in Kingolwira, Morogoro Rural District, Tanzania. Water was collected from different sites in the village and analysed for a period of six months. Physical, chemical and microbiological qualities of water were examined. The pH of the water ranged from 7.02 to 7.20 and the water temperature ranged from 25.7°C to 27.0°C. The total dissolved solids of the water samples ranged from 110 to 510 ppm. The water contained considerable levels of lead and copper ranging from 0.034 to 0.090 ppm and 0.022 to 0.030 ppm, respectively. Total water hardness ranged from 19.60 to 228.10 ppm as calcium carbonate. The total viable counts and faecal coliform counts ranged from 2.75x103 to 5.4 x 103 c.f.u/ml and 0.93 x102 to 2.1x102 counts/100ml, respectively. Overall, water supplies in the village were judged as of poor quality. Water is usually used for domestic purposes including cooking, drinking, washing and preparation of infant foods without any treatment. In conclusion therefore, water in Kingolwira village is of poor quality and needs to be treated before consumption. Theres is also a need for the rural population to be educated on hazards of using untreated water. In general, sanitary facilities in rural areas in Tanzania need to be improved in order to avoid health hazards

PREVALENCE AND AWARENESS OF OBESITY AMONG PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN MOROGORO, TANZANIA

ABSTRACTObjective: To determine the prevalence rates and level of awareness of obesity amongpeople of different age groups in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania.Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study.Subjects: One hundred adults aged 19-50 years old and 40 pupils aged 14-18 yearsold.Setting: Four educational institutions in Morogoro Municipality were included in thestudy. The four institutions included a primary and a secondary school, a teacher'straining college and a university.Results: The prevalence of obesity among the sampled subjects in Morogoro Municipalitywas 25 %, whereby 15.7% had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 25 and 30, and9.3% had a BMI of more than 30. Age and occupation of all the subjects, togetherwith marital status of adult subjects, were significantly related with obesity status.Prevalence of obesity increased with the increased age whereby subjects in the 41-50years had the highest rate (45.4%). Employed subjects had higher rate of obesity (22.2%)than pupils or students. Similarly, married adults had higher rate of obesity (27.8%)than the single ones (4.7%). Unlike the old age group (41-50 years), 70% of the youngestsubjects were not aware about the harmful effects of obesity. On the other hand, morethan two thirds of all the subjects could not associate excess body weight with chronicnon-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure andbreathing problems.Conclusion: Results of the current study indicate that obesity is increasingly becominga public health problem in Morogoro Municipality, and probably in many other placesin Tanzania. There is need for more public awareness on the effect of obesity on people'shealth through information, education and communication. It would be of greatimportance if such interventions were introduced at early age of life, for example byinclusion in school curricula

Prevalence and awareness of obesity among people of different age groups in educational institutions in Morogoro, Tanzania

Objective:To determine the prevalence rates and level of awareness of obesity among people of different age groups in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. Design:A cross-sectional, descriptive study. Subjects:One hundred adults aged 19-50 years old and 40 pupils aged 14-18 years old. Setting:Four educational institutions in Morogoro Municipality were included in the study. The four institutions included a primary and a secondary school, a teacher's training college and a university. Results: The prevalence of obesity among the sampled subjects in Morogoro Municipality was 25 %, whereby 15.7% had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 25 and 30, and 9.3% had a BMI of more than 30. Age and occupation of all the subjects, together with marital status of adult subjects, were significantly related with obesity status. Prevalence of obesity increased with the increased age whereby subjects in the 41-50 years had the highest rate (45.4%). Employed subjects had higher rate of obesity (22.2%) than pupils or students. Similarly, married adults had higher rate of obesity (27.8%) than the single ones (4.7%). Unlike the old age group (41-50 years), 70% of the youngest subjects were not aware about the harmful effects of obesity. On the other hand, more than two thirds of all the subjects could not associate excess body weight with chronic non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and breathing problems. Conclusion:Results of the current study indicate that obesity is increasingly becoming a public health problem in Morogoro Municipality, and probably in many other places in Tanzania. There is need for more public awareness on the effect of obesity on people's health through information, education and communication. It would be of great importance if such interventions were introduced at early age of life, for example by inclusion in school curricula. (East African Medical Journal: 2003 80(2): 68-72

Crop Rotation and Soil Amendment Alters Sorghum Grain Quality

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation enhances grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield, but infl uence on grain quality has not been measured. The objective was to determine the effect of cropping sequence (CS) and soil amendment (SA) on grain yield and quality. Sorghum grain yield and quality, soil NO3–N and water were measured in a rotation study in 2003 and 2004 on a Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll). Cropping sequences were continuous sorghum, and sorghum rotated with non-nodulating and nodulating soybean. Soil amendments consisted of no amendment, manure (17–26 Mg dry matter ha−1 yr−1), and N (84 kg ha−1 yr−1). CS × SA interaction effects were found for most parameters. Rotation with non-nodulating soybean without SA increased yield by 2.6 to 2.8 Mg ha−1 over continuous sorghum without SA. Rotation without SA with nodulating soybean further increased yield by 1.7 to 1.8 Mg ha−1 over rotation with non-nodulating soybean. Grain N increased by 0.5 to 1.0, 2.5 to 5.0, and 3.3 to 4.9 g kg−1 for N application to continuous sorghum and sorghum rotated with non-nodulating and nodulating soybean, respectively. Tangential abrasive dehulling device (TADD) removal indicated that continuous sorghum without SA produced the softest grain with 43 to 44% TADD removal, and sorghum rotated with nodulating soybean with manure produced the hardest grain with 22 to 27% TADD removal. As food end-use opportunities for sorghum grain evolve, use of crop rotation and SA application will be important to produce grain with desirable quality attributes. Includes corrected Table 4