Integration of Nutrition into the Training Curricula of the Matourkou Agricultural Centre in Burkina Faso

Abstract Background: There is heightened interest in strengthening the linkages between agriculture and nutrition so that agriculture education systems become more nutrition-sensitive. This study was conducted to document the process of integrating nutrition into the training curricula of the Matourkou Agriculture Training Centre (CAP/Matourkou) in Burkina Faso. It also aimed to identify the challenges as well as the opportunities related to this mainstreaming process

Dietary patterns of adults living in Ouagadougou and their association with overweight

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Urbanization in developing countries comes along with changes in food habits and living conditions and with an increase in overweight and associated health risks. The objective of the study was to describe dietary patterns of adults in Ouagadougou and to study their relationship with anthropometric status of the subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A qualitative food frequency questionnaire was administered to 1,072 adults living in two contrasted districts of Ouagadougou. Dietary patterns were defined by principal component analysis and described by multivariate analysis. Logistic regression was used to study their association with overweight.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The diet was mainly made of cereals, vegetables and fats from vegetable sources. The two first components of the principal component analysis were interpreted respectively as a "snacking" score and as a "modern foods" score. Both scores were positively and independently associated with the economic level of households and with food expenditures (p ≤ 0.001 for both). The "snacking" score was higher for younger people (p = 0.004), for people having a formal occupation (p = 0.006), for those never married (p = 0.005), whereas the "modern foods" score was associated with ethnic group (p = 0.032) and district of residence (p < 0.001). Thirty-six percent of women and 14.5% of men were overweight (Body Mass Index > 25 kg/m²). A higher "modern foods" score was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight when confounding factors were accounted for (OR = 1.19 [95% CI 1.03-1.36]) but there was no relationship between overweight and the "snacking" score.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Modernisation of types of foods consumed was associated with the living conditions and the environment and with an increased risk of overweight. This should be accounted for to promote better nutrition and prevent non communicable diseases.</p

Towards improving child feeding practices for optimal nutrition outcomes in Burkina Faso

Background: Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are a critical factor in improving child nutrition. Methods: This study was conducted to document the promotion of optimal child feeding practices in the North and Central Plateau regions in Burkina Faso. Data were collected through a review of available program data, field visits and interviews with key stakeholders involved in the process. Results: A participatory approach was used to promote feeding practices in the two target regions. Interventions were delivered both at community level and through the health system. A mother-focused life cycle approach was used to deliver IYCF interventions at community level. The use of a participatory approach to scale up IYCF interventions fostered ownership and sustainability of the program. The development of a number of monitoring tools allowed the generation of real-time data about the program. In less than two years, the program reached 38,307 pregnant women and 63,955 mothers of children under two years of age with IYCF services in the Central Plateau region and 33,500 pregnant women and 67,200 mothers of children under two years of age in the North region. Despite this, much remains to be done to develop a full-fledged multi-sectoral system for addressing stunting in the two regions. Conclusion: Our data indicate that IYCF interventions were successfully developed and improved in two regions of Burkina Faso. Efforts should be made to accelerate the implementation of a comprehensive multi-sectoral package for addressing stunting in the two regions and also in the other regions of Burkina Fas

Integration of Nutrition into the Training Curricula of the Matourkou Agricultural Centre in Burkina Faso

Background: There is heightened interest in strengthening the linkages between agriculture and nutrition so that agriculture education systems become more nutrition-sensitive. This study was conducted to document the process of integrating nutrition into the training curricula of the Matourkou Agriculture Training Centre (CAP/Matourkou) in Burkina Faso. It also aimed to identify the challenges as well as the opportunities related to this mainstreaming process. Methods: Data were collected between August and October 2015. The nutrition content of the curricula was evaluated against the following criteria: i) Scope of the nutrition topics covered; ii) Method of integration of nutrition in the revised curricula; and iii) Method of delivery of nutrition instruction. A written test was conducted to assess the extent to which the process had contributed to improving students’ knowledge in nutrition. Only students in the agricultural engineering program took the test. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were also conducted to evaluate the perceptions of key stakeholders about the process. The discussions were guided by the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analytical framework. Results: An iterative and multi-stakeholder process was used by CAP/Matourkou to integrate nutrition into its existing curricula. Nutrition mainstreaming occurred at two levels: i) Vertical integration through which stand-alone nutrition courses were added to the curriculum for agricultural engineers, higher level technicians and agricultural agents; and ii) Longitudinal integration where nutrition was embedded into relevant agriculture-specific subjects (13 subjects in the curriculum for agricultural engineers, 3 for higher level technicians, and 2 for agricultural agents). This resulted in a short-term improvement in students’ knowledge in nutrition. Students who received nutrition instruction under the revised curricula scored significantly higher than those that did not (mean score: 53.2±10.0 vs. 45.7±10.8, P<0.01). However, the vast majority of them (77.1%) scored around the average or below (<60%) for the test, indicating the need for increased training and exposure to nutrition. The most frequently reported strengths were the use of a structured approach and ownership of the process by CAP/ Matourkou. Lack of internal communication about the process, insufficient training of faculty members in nutrition, and lack of nutrition courses emphasizing practical skills emerged as the major weaknesses. Conclusions: Our data indicate that nutrition was effectively mainstreamed into the training curricula of CAP/Matourkou in Burkina Faso. However, efforts should be made to expand students’ knowledge in nutrition. It is important to expose them to nutrition courses that emphasize practical skills. Opportunities should also be created for faculty members to upgrade their capacity to teach nutrition-sensitive courses. Key technical partners, such as UNICEF, FAO and other international organizations, should continue to provide a multi-level support to the process. This will ensure the sustainability of the approach and make the training programs offered by CAP/Matourkou more nutrition-sensitive

Effects of maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation on fetal growth: A double-blind randomized controlled trial in rural Burkina Faso

Background: Intrauterine growth retardation is a major predictor of child health in developing countries. Objective: We tested whether providing pregnant women with the UNICEF/WHO/UNU international multiple micronutrient preparation (UNIMMAP), rather than iron and folic acid alone, improved fetal growth and its correlates. Design: An intention-to-treat, double-blind, randomized controlled trial including 1426 pregnancies was carried out in rural Burkina Faso. Tablet intake was directly observed. Results: Pregnancy outcome was known in 96.3% of the participants. After adjustment for gestational age at delivery, both birth weight (52 g; 95% CI: 4, 100; P = 0.035) and birth length (3.6 mm; 95% CI: 0.8, 6.3; P = 0.012) were significantly higher in the UNIMMAP group. UNIMMAP had a differential effect by percentiles of birth weight and length distributions: the risk of large-forgestational-age infants was higher in the UNIMMAP group (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.38; P = 0.03), although the risk of low birth weight remained unchanged. The effect of UNIMMAP on birth size was modified by maternal body mass index at enrollment and could be more important in multiparous women and women taking sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Unexpectedly, the risk of perinatal death was marginally significantly increased in the UNIMMAP group (OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 0.95, 3.32; P = 0.07), and this seemed to affect mainly primiparous women (OR: 3.44; 95% CI: 1.1, 10.7; P for interaction = 0.11). Conclusions: Maternal UNIMMAP modestly but significantly increased fetal growth. The resulting benefit on infant growth and survival needs to be assessed. The possible lack of benefit and potential harm in primiparous women should be further investigated. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00642408. © 2008 American Society for Nutrition.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe