ABSTRACT Iron deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in the world today. Maternal anemia is still a cause of considerable prenatal morbidity and mortality. The number of anemic women in the world is estimated to be 56 million, majority of them (75-80%) being diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. In Kenya iron deficiency for women of reproductive age is at 48% while anemia in pregnancy is at 55%. One of the most important factors responsible for maternal iron deficien...
ABSTRACT Childhood undernutrition remains a key issue of concern to many countries, in the post 2015 global agenda for development with many developing countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) being affected. Undernutrition is a leading contributor to child morbidity and mortality being culpable for half of global child mortalities. Nutrition sensitive approaches are being advocated for sustainable outcomes, in the fight against malnutrition in vulnerable populations. Food based str...
ABSTRACT High adult mortality due to various causes like HIV and AIDS has led to an upward trend of the number of orphans and vulnerable children. Extended family networks have taken the responsibility of caring for these children but lack of adequate resources for their care has forced the caretakers of these children to take them to orphanages. As a consequence to the ever-increasing number of orphans, there has been mushrooming of orphanages in the country. Appropriate childcare practices ...
ABSTRACT Adolescents regularly participating in sports and do not meet their energy intake may develop several medical conditions, such as disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction, and decreased bone mineral density, collectively referred to as the Female Athlete Triad (FAT). Limited data is available on components of FAT in adolescent athletes of African descent. This study’s aim was to investigate the presence of the components of the female athlete triad amongst a group of junior long fe...
Abstract Objective: To identify predictors of maternal dietary diversity in rural Dodoma, Tanzania and assess its association with child growth outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 361 mothers with children under 24 months of age was conducted in 5 villages in rural Dodoma, Tanzania. Maternal diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires, and dietary diversity was categorized using Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) guidelines. Child anthropometric measures were ...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted to assess the quality of Tanzanian honey based on antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activities on bacteria and fungi in relation to its physicochemical properties. Two types of honey samples (stinging and stingless bees’ honey) were collected from central zone (Singida and Dodoma) and western zone (Tabora and Shinyanga). Honey samples were analysed for anti-microbial activities, anti-oxidant properties (total phenols, vitamin C) and physico-chemical pr...
ABSTRACT The factors influencing aflatoxin contamination in maize at harvest and during storage in three villages of Manungu, Mlanga and Kongwa in Kongwa district, Dodoma region, Tanzania, were investigated in the year 2015/2016. The villages were chosen as they were major maize producers and suppliers to the international Kibaigwa grain market located in this area. The number of maize samples analyzed were 91. Twenty three samples were taken during harvest and stored for 90 and 180 days in ...
ABSTRACT Mango and tomato are widely grown in the World. The present study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of three preservatives in retaining their quality attributes of mango and tomato and substituting the use of sodium metabisulphite with either the lemon juice or acetic acid. The three preservatives were sodium metabisulphite (0.1%), acetic acid (0.5%) and lemon juice (0.5v/v) studied at the respective level in bracket. Mango and tomato slices were dried in the walk - in sol...
Several community milk cooling plants were constructed and equipped in Western Kenya counties through joint funding of the World-Bank and the Government of Kenya between the years 2008 to 2016 to promote milk production and marketing. A recent study revealed that utilization of these milk cooling plants and farmer participation was low. Market participation in sub-Saharan Africa has been assessed mainly based on already producing households without considering decision to produce by non-produ...
ABSTRACT Subclinical vitamin A (VA) deficiency (VAD) continues to be a global problem widely affecting children within 1,000 days of life. Western Kenya experiences high infant mortality partly attributable to VAD. A community based cross-sectional survey among children 6-23 months was undertaken in Western Kenya. Socio-demographic and dietary intake information were collected. Analysis of retinol-binding protein (RBP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) was undertaken to estimate VA and sub-clinica...
ABSTRACT Background: In Ghana, more than 60 % of under 6 year old children are estimated to suffer from sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency. Bio-fortification is the process of breeding nutrients into crops and it provides a relatively economical, sustainable way of giving out more micronutrients. Cassava is also the leading crop in terms of energy intake and per capita consumption in Ghana thus bio-fortifying cassava with provitamin A can improve the vitamin A composition of this staple food a...
ABSTRACT Zinc is an essential micronutrient found in almost every cell in the body. Nutrient needs are highest during adolescence, surpassed only by needs during pregnancy and lactation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency among adolescents in Ghana and to relate this with dietary intake of zinc and phytate. A total of 300 adolescents between ages 13-19 years were recruited from the Greater Accra and Upper East Regions for the study. Questionnaires were u...
ABSTRACT Background: Eating out (EO) has been identified as a significant driver to the poor quality of diet due to the high fat, sodium and energy content of meals which have a negative consequence on nutritional health, resulting in overweight/obesity and related non-communicable diseases. The study sought to assess EO lifestyle and associated factors; assess the nutrient content of some selected meals from fast-food restaurants (FFRs) in Accra; and associations of EO lifestyle with selec...
ABSTRACT HIV/AIDS is a public health problem that is increasingly having its toll on human resources, particularly given the fact that the most vulnerable age group is the youth. Even though tremendous achievements have been chalked through the use of antiretroviral drugs, these drugs are expensive and unaffordable by PLWHA in Ghana. Good nutrition has therefore been deemed as a complement to anti retroviral drugs for maximum benefit to this group of people. Ironically, most studies into the ...