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- Abdelmenan, Semira, et al.
(författare)
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The Social Stratification of Availability, Affordability, and Consumption of Food in Families with Preschoolers in Addis Ababa : The EAT Addis Study in Ethiopia
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nutrients. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6643. ; 12:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to understand the quality of diet being consumed among families in Addis Ababa, and to what extent social stratification and perceptions of availability and affordability affect healthy food consumption. Data were collected from 5467 households in a face-to-face interview with mothers/caretakers and analyzed using mixed effect logistic regression models. All family food groups, except fish were perceived to be available by more than 90% of the participants. The food groups cereals/nuts/seeds, other vegetables, and legumes were considered highly affordable (80%) and were the most consumed (>75%). Households with the least educated mothers and those in the lowest wealth quintile had the lowest perception of affordability and also consumption. Consumption of foods rich in micronutrients and animal sources were significantly higher among households with higher perceived affordability, the highest wealth quintile, and with mothers who had better education. Households in Addis Ababa were generally seen to have a monotonous diet, despite the high perceived availability of different food groups within the food environment. There is a considerable difference in consumption of nutrient-rich foods across social strata, hence the cities food policies need to account for social differences in order to improve the nutritional status of the community.
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| 3. |
- Berhane, Hanna Y., et al.
(författare)
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Social Stratification, Diet Diversity and Malnutrition among Preschoolers : A Survey of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nutrients. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6643. ; 12:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, being overweight in childhood is rapidly rising while stunting is still remaining at unacceptable levels. A key contributor to this double burden of malnutrition is dietary changes associated with nutrition transition. Although the importance of socio-economic drivers is known, there is limited knowledge about their stratification and relative importance to diet and to different forms of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to assess diet diversity and malnutrition in preschoolers and evaluate the relative importance of socioeconomic resources. Households with children under five (5467) were enrolled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Standardized tools and procedures were used to collect data on diet, anthropometry and socio-economic factors. Multivariable analysis with cluster adjustment was performed. The prevalence of stunting was 19.6% (18.5-20.6), wasting 3.2% (2.8-3.7), and overweight/obesity 11.4% (10.6-12.2). Stunting, overweight, wasting and limited diet diversity was present in all social strata. Low maternal education was associated with an increased risk of stunting (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.8; 1.4-2.2), limited diet diversity (AOR: 0.33; 0.26-0.42) and reduced odds of being overweight (AOR: 0.61; 0.44-0.84). Preschoolers in Addis Ababa have limited quality diets and suffer from both under- and over-nutrition. Maternal education was an important explanatory factor for stunting and being overweight. Interventions that promote diet quality for the undernourished whilst also addressing the burgeoning problem of being overweight are needed.
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| 4. |
- Berhane, Hanna Yemane, 1989-
(författare)
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Social Stratification of Children's Diet and Nutrition: Understanding Women's Situation in Addis Ababa
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Childhood undernutrition is the cause of nearly half of all deaths in under-five children. In sub-Saharan African countries, this problem is further complicated by the rising prevalence of overweight. Mothers play a key role in child care and nutrition, however, in cities that are undergoing rapid social and economic changes, little is known about their lived experiences and challenges. Moreover, little is known about the influence of the neighbourhood food environment and family socio-economic conditions of food acquisition and intake in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the study aims to understand the nexus between mothers’ child care and feeding experiences, neighbourhood food environment, diet diversity, and family socioeconomic status. Methods: A mixed qualitative and quantitative study design was used. The qualitative component involved thirty-six in-depth interviews with mothers who had children under the age of five years. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse verbatim transcripts. For the quantitative component, two rounds of cross-sectional household surveys were conducted. The sample was drawn from all districts of Addis Ababa; a total of 5467 households with mother-child pairs. Data were analysed using a generalised estimating equation (GEE) and mixed-effect logistic regression model. Results: Urban mothers are under pressure to ensure their child gets adequate care and food; the changes in their environment owing to the reconstruction of city and migration further limit their ability to do so. Mothers expressed that their decision of what to feed their children is influenced by children’s preferences, perceived safety of the food, familiarity with the food, and affordability.Children receiving the recommended minimum diet diversity totaled 59.9% (58.5–61.3). Having an adequately diverse diet was associated with having an educated mother, and being from the wealthier and more food-secure households. Animal source and vitamin-A-rich food groups are the least affordable and consumed food groups in the study settings. Families with uneducated mothers, in the lowest wealth group and those who perceived food groups to be unaffordable, consumed a less diverse diet.The prevalence of stunting was 19.6% (18.5–20.6) and that of over-weight/obesity was 11.4% (10.6–12.2). Maternal education level was associated with both forms of malnutrition; children with uneducated mothers were more likely to be stunted (AOR: 1.8; 1.4–2.2) and less likely to be overweight/obese (AOR: 0.61; 0.44–0.84), while being from the highest wealth household and from a severely food insecure household were associated with a higher likelihood of obesity and stunting, respectively. Conclusion: Child nutritional outcomes and diet quality vary by the socioeconomic status of the family; particularly that of mothers. Therefore, efforts to improve diet and nutritional outcomes of children need to consider mechanisms to strongly support mothers.
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| 7. |
- Naznin, Most Tahera, et al.
(författare)
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Bridging technique failure through low-tech improvisation: A case study of food microbiology
- 2020
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Ingår i: African Journal of Microbiology Research. - 1996-0808. ; 14:7, s. 361-365
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern technology for food safety studies includes standardized protocols and equipment. However, appropriate technology needs to step in to bridge technology dys- or malfunctioning. We examined different low-tech methods for extraction of bacteria from fresh vegetables. Standard equipment including stomacher and filter bags were compared to extraction using bread stick and alternative filter material (nylon stocking, mosquito net). Comparison of microspheres’ (ø: 53-63 µm; ø: 63-75 µm) passage through filter bags, nylon stockings with different densities (15 DEN, 20 DEN, 25 DEN, 40 DEN) and mosquito net showed no significant difference between filter bag and nylon stocking. A significantly higher number of both size microspheres (ø: 53-63 and ø: 63-75 µm) passed through the mosquito net than filter bag and nylon stocking. Manual extraction of romaine lettuce leaf was performed by three technicians. Viable counts of leaf associated bacteria were influenced by the technician and choice of filter material. Viable bacterial counts obtained from breadstick with filter bag manual extraction did not show any significant difference from standard method. We conclude that standard procedures can be replaced by low-tech approaches in the event of malfunctioning equipment. However, method validation is imperative.
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| 9. |
- Wahab, Ibrahim, et al.
(författare)
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An integrated approach to unravelling smallholder yield levels : The case of small family farms, eastern region, Ghana
- 2020
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Ingår i: Agriculture. - : MDPI AG. - 2077-0472. ; 10:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Yield levels and the factors determining crop yields is an important strand of research on rainfed family farms. This is particularly true for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which reports some of the lowest crop yields. This also holds for Ghana, where actual yields of maize, the most important staple crop, are currently about only a third of achievable yields. Developing a comprehensive understanding of the factors underpinning these yield levels is key to improving them. Previous research endeavours on this frontier have been incumbered by the mono-disciplinary focus and/or limitations relating to spatial scales, which do not allow the actual interactions at the farm level to be explored. Using the sustainable livelihoods framework and, to a lesser extent, the induced innovation theory as inspiring theoretical frames, the present study employs an integrated approach of multiple data sources and methods to unravel the sources of current maize yield levels on smallholder farms in two farming villages in the Eastern region of Ghana. The study relies on farm and household survey data, remotely-sensed aerial photographs of maize fields and photo-elicitation interviews (PEIs) with farmers. These data cover the 2016 major farming season that spanned the period March–August. We found that the factors that contributed to current yield levels are not consistent across yield measures and farming villages. From principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR), the timing of maize planting is the most important determinant of yield levels, explaining 25% of the variance in crop cut yields in Akatawia, and together with household income level, explaining 32% of the variance. Other statistically significant yield determinants include level of inorganic fertiliser applied, soil penetrability and phosphorus content, weed control and labour availability. However, this model only explains a third of the yields, which implies that two-thirds are explained by other factors. Our integrated approach was crucial in further shedding light on the sources of the poor yields currently achieved. The aerial photographs enabled us to demonstrate the dominance of poor crop patches on the edges and borders of maize fields, while the PEIs further improved our understanding of not just the causes of these poor patches but also the factors underpinning delayed planting despite farmers’ awareness of the ideal planting window. The present study shows that socioeconomic factors that are often not considered in crop yield analyses—land tenure and labour availability—often underpin poor crop yields in such smallholder rainfed family farms. Labour limitations, which show up strongly in both in the MLR and qualitative data analyses, for example, induces certain labour-saving technologies such as multiple uses of herbicides. Excessive herbicide use has been shown to have negative effects on maize yields.
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