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Dietary Diversity in School Going Children: Review - Pages 133-138

Brij Pal Singh and Mahak Sharma

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2020.09.03.5
Published: 07 August 2020

Abstract: Child malnutrition is a public health problem in developing countries, and dietary diversity is one of the important determinants of undernutrition. Different nutrients are obtained from different food groups and to meet the requirement of recommended Dietary Allowances entitled as Dietary Diversity. The current review revealed that the nutrition status of children is directly related to the food groups consumed. Food diversity depends on many factors such as Socio-economic Status, education level, sex, and age of the subjects. The food group consumed and food items taken from each group were low in the low Socio-Economic Status (SES) subjects, rural areas, females, and less educated families, resulting in malnutrition among children of various countries. Low level of Dietary Diversity can be the reason for undernutrition in children worldwide, especially in developing countries. Many studies thus supported that Dietary Diversity and Food Variety can provide nutritional adequacy.

Keywords: Food Variety, Dietary Diversity, Dietary Diversity Score, Nutritional adequacy, Micronutrient Deficiencies.

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The Role of Mother Empowerment and Macro-Economic Factors for Child Health: An Evidence from Developing Economies - Pages 139-147

Mariam Abbas Soharwardi

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2020.09.03.6
Published: 07 August 2020

Abstract: Objective: To analyzed the role of maternal empowerment and macro-economic variables in the improvement of child health in developing economies.

Methodology: Maternal empowerment has measured through five dimensions: work status, awareness, decision making, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Moreover, countries' net foods imports, countries as secular or non-secular and region are selected as macro-economic factors. On the other hand, child health has analysed through the anthropometric measure, i.e. stunting. The most recent data sets of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 38 countries have been used. Data has been analyzed through the use of binary logistic regression and explore the impact of maternal empowerment and macro-economic factors on child health.

Results: The results explain the positive impact of mother empowerment in the improvement of child health. Furthermore, net food imports are positively effecting the child's health. Sub-Saharan Africa and Secular states proved to have negative impacts on child health. Most probably the more empowered mothers are more contributors and implement positive effects on their children’s health.

Conclusion: The countries which can fill their food deficiencies through food imports have the probability of improved health for the next generation.

Keywords: Child Health, DHS, Binary Logistic, BMI, Net food Imports, Secular States.

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Development and Evaluation of an Automated Algorithm to Estimate the Nutrient Intake of Infants from an Electronic Complementary Food Frequency Questionnaire - Pages 148-155

Komal Manerkar, Jane Harding, Cathryn Conlon and Christopher McKinlay

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2020.09.04.1
Published: 16 November 2020

Abstract: Background: We previously validated a four-day complementary food frequency questionnaire (CFFQ) to estimate the nutrient intake in New Zealand infants aged 9-12 months. However, manual entry of the CFFQ data into nutritional analysis software was time-consuming. Therefore, we developed an automated algorithm and evaluated its accuracy by comparing the nutrient estimates with those obtained from the nutritional analysis software.

Methods: We analysed 50 CFFQ completed at 9- and 12-months using Food Works nutritional analysis software. The automated algorithm was programmed in SAS by multiplying the average daily consumption of each food item by the nutrient content of the portion size. We considered the most common brands for commercially prepared baby foods. Intakes of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients were compared between methods using Bland-Altman analysis.

Results: The automated algorithm did not have any significant bias for estimates of energy (kJ) (MD 15, 95% CI -27, 58), carbohydrate (g) (MD -0.1, 95% CI -1.2,1.0), and fat (g) (-0.1, 95% CI -0.3,0.1), but slightly underestimated intake of protein (MD -0.4 g, 95% CI -0.7,-0.1), saturated fat, PUFA, dietary fibre, and niacin. The algorithm provided accurate estimates for other micronutrients. The limits of agreement were relatively narrow.

Conclusion: This automated algorithm is an efficient tool to estimate the nutrient intakes from CFFQ accurately. The small negative bias observed for few nutrients was clinically insignificant and can be minimised. This algorithm is suitable to use in large clinical trials and cohort studies without the need for proprietary software.

Keywords: Infant and child nutrition, dietary intake assessment, food frequency questionnaire, infant feeding, complementary feeding.

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Severe Acute Malnutrition and Feeding Practice of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Pastoral Community, Afar, Ethiopia: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
- Pages 156-163
Getahun Fentaw Mulaw, Bizunesh Fantahun Kase, Adebabay Dessie Manchilo, Bereket Lopiso Lombebo and Begna Melkamu Tollosa

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2020.09.04.2
Published: 16 November 2020

Abstract: Background: Severe acute malnutrition remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Knowing the local burden of SAM has huge importance for public health interventions. Therefore this study aimed to assess the level of severe acute malnutrition and feeding practice of children aged 6–59 months in Abaa’la district, Afar, Northeast, Ethiopia.

Methods: Community-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 mother-child pairs of children aged 6–59 months. Kebeles were selected randomly after stratifying the district in to urban and rural, and study participants were selected using a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and child nutritional status was measured using WHO Mid upper arm circumference measuring tape. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 22 for analysis. The result was presented using Descriptive statistics.

Results: The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) was found to be 4.3% (95% CI, 2.3-6.1%) and that of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) was 21.1 %. Almost all (98.8%) of children were ever breastfed. Prelacteal feeding and bottle feeding was practiced by 31% and 33.9% of children, respectively. Only 68.5% of children were feed colostrum. Around 45.5% of children were exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and 70.4% of children wean breastfeeding before the age of two years.

Conclusion: The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition in the study area was lower than the regional figures, but still, it is a public health priority. There are improper child care and feeding practices. Therefore, public health interventions that can improve those practices should be strengthened.

Keywords: Severe acute malnutrition, Abaa’la, Afar, Ethiopia, Children aged 6-59 Months.

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