ABSTRACT Introduction: There exist some variation in nutrient needs, and general physiology of adult and adolescent women, as well as physiologic stress imposed by pregnancy which can affect their infants. This may result from their nutrients demands due to differences in their developmental stage. Objective: To compare the nutritional status of adult and adolescent mothers and their infants. Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study design. Two Hundred and sixty mother-child pairs ...
ABSTRACT Background: Anaemia is a condition where the number of red blood cell (RBC) is reduced below the recommended value. It is diagnosed when a blood test shows haemoglobin concentrations below established levels. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of anaemia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 30% of the people in the world have anaemia due to prolonged iron deficiency. A good source of iron (haem iron) is meat and non-haem iron from plant sources. ...
ABSTRACT Background: For an effective behaviour modification in dietary habits, an understanding of the association between an individual’s personality traits and food habits are of much significance. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between personality traits and dietary habits among undergraduate students of the University of Ghana. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted and students were recruited by systematic sampling. A questionnaire was used to...
ABSTRACT Background: Night shift work has been shown to induce stress, disturb family life, interrupt regular meal schedules (leading to lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals) and create lifestyle problems. These shift work-associated problems lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol; all possible cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Fire-fighters are one category of workers who undertake rotating night shift work in Ghana. Aim: This study determined the impact of shi...
ABSTRACT Background: The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is reported to be a major contribution to the increased level of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Ghana. It has been reported that 80% of premature deaths from NCDs can be prevented through known dietary and life style interventions. A recent survey indicates that 18% of Ghanaians have been diagnosed with at least one NCD, with 45% of this number receiving dietary and life style interventions. The effectiveness of these int...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetarianism is the restriction of diet to disallow some or all foods of animal origin and consuming mainly foods of plant origin. There is paucity of data on dietary intakes of vegetarians in Ghana Vegetarian diets are typically low in certain micronutrients particularly iron, zinc and vitamin B12 but high in dietary fibre, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. The low intake of these micronutrients may affect the serum micronutrient profile of vegetarians. Folate and ...
ABSTRACT Background: Obesity is a major health problem and a risk factor for morbid conditions such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome. Dietary modifications and pharmacological agents, among others, are measures often used by individuals to decrease body fat. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a dietary supplement (MS01) on weight control and serum lipid profile in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: A ...
ABSTRACT Background and objective: Anaemia among Ghanaian women of reproductive age is an important public health concern that contributes to morbidity, poor reproductive outcomes, low productivity and mortality. Chronic smoke inhalation from the use of biomass fuel for cooking has been shown to be associated with anaemia in some populations. Fish smoking using biomass fuel is an important livelihood among women living in coastal communities in Ghana which may increase their risk of anaemia. ...
ABSTRACT Background: School-age children (SAC) are vulnerable to malnutrition which can negatively influence their growth and maturity, health and academic attainment. School feeding programmes (SFP) have the potential to improve dietary intakes and the nutrition of SAC. However, there is limited information on the nutritional impact of school feeding programmes in Ghana. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the dietary intakes and nutritional status of SAC participating in an N...
ABSTRACT Background: Nutritional status is the balance between intake of nutrients and its expenditure in the processes of growth, reproduction and health maintenance, and a critical determinant of growth and development of children. Without proper nutrition, children are likely to face early physical growth failure, delayed motor, cognitive and behavioral development, diminished immunity and increased mortality and morbidity. Appropriate maternal/caregiver counselling and extensive child gro...
ABSTRACT Background: Obesity is a complex, heterogeneous group of disorders that is determined by genes, environmental factors and interaction between genes and environment. Several studies have all established associations of certain candidate genes to obesity and their variations with respect to race, geographical location/country of origin. A study of this nature to investigate the relationship between some of these selected genes and obesity has not yet been conducted in Ghana. Aim: The a...
ABSTRACT Background: Stress has often been related to a multitude of negative human behaviours and many health conditions including cardiovascular diseases. In recent times, several harmful dietary practices such as unhealthy eating patterns have been associated with issues of stress. Work-related stress (WRS) is experienced when the demands of the work environment exceed the employees’ ability to cope with (or control) them. Nursing is generally perceived as a stressful and demanding prof...
ABSTRACT The complexity in measuring feeding practices makes it difficult to study the relation between infant feeding practices and other characteristics. This cross-sectional study carried out in Upper Manya Krobo District (UMKD) among 260 children aged 6-23 months (mo) was aimed at understanding the association between infant and young child feeding index (ICFI), the nutritional knowledge of the care-giver and the nutritional status of children in UMKD. A structured questionnaire was used...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetarianism is a dietary lifestyle that involves the restriction of diet, disallowing some or all foods of animal origin, thereby consuming mainly foods of plant origin. Vegetarian diets are composed of only plant products which include fruits and vegetables, as well as grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The plant products they consume are rich sources of vitamins such as Vitamins A, C and E which act directly as antioxidants, as well as protein and minerals such as zinc,...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetable oils are used either in the raw state or heated in the preparation of foods worldwide. Due to the nutrition transition, there is increased demand for fast cooked foods or convenience foods which involves the use of heated and repeatedly heated oils. Research has demonstrated that high temperature cooking with oils can result in the formation of mutagenic compounds that on consumption may induce the development of cancers. This study aimed at determining the muta...