Feeding Practices, Food Variety, and Dietary Diversity – Indicators of Nutritional Status among Historically Disadvantaged Agri-business Families, South Africa
Journal Title: Journal of Nutrition and Food Security - Year 2017, Vol 2, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: In the South African context, little is known about the nutritional status of historically disadvantaged smallholder food producers and their family members. Food Variety Scores (FVS) and Dietary Diversity Scores (DDS) are some of the indicators of nutritional status. This study sought to evaluate the nutritional status of children of historically disadvantaged agribusiness smallholders at Alfred Nzo District. Methods: This study‟s purposeful sample comprised of 263 agri-business households that generated annual turnover of US $11 811 – $39 370, and 327 children aged 5-14 years. A 3-day 24h dietary recall method was administered to collect information using questionnaires to assess the households‟ socio-economic status and the caregivers‟ nutritional practices. Descriptive, correlational, and non-parametric statistical analyses were performed. Results: The majority of caregivers‟ households had a monthly non-farm income of US $78.82 - $118.11 (32.3%), and food expenditure of US $55.20 - $70.87 (23.2%). The households‟ nutritional practices appeared weak. Half of the caregivers‟ households (50.2%) could not afford to provide breakfast for their children every day before they go to school or church. The mean FVS was low at 23.43 ± 7.89, while the mean DDS was debatably high at 7.82 ± 4.53. The households‟ nonfarm income was positively and highly correlated (r = 0.55) to food expenditure (P < 0.01). In turn, food expenditure had a significant influence on FVS (P < 0.01) and DDS (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Households of historically disadvantaged agri-business smallholders had rather poor nutritional status. Staple food production-based security programs are required to improve nutrition.
Authors and Affiliations
Awonke Sonandi, Frank Elliot Zwane, Adam Johan Van Niekerk
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP231654
- DOI -
- Views 49
- Downloads 0
Correlation between Diet Quality and Metabolic Syndrome
Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing with an alarming rate world wide. Since diet components' studies that focus on MetS have produced largely inconsistent results, assessing the whole diet than single...
The Effect of Oat Bran Supplement on Fasting Blood Sugar and Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Patients with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Single-blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is known as a degree of glucose intolerance that occurs for the first time during pregnancy. There is paucity of evidence regarding the effect of oat bran on GDM. Oat as a...
Effect of Chemotherapy on Zinc, Copper, Vitamin D Levels and Inflammatory Marker in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Background: In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) the bone marrow loses its ability in the differentiation and maturation of blood cells at different stages. Zinc and copper are important co-factors for several enzymes a...
The Effect of Persian Gums and Tragacanth on Texture and Sensory Characteristics of Non-Gluten Cakes
Background: The presence of gluten proteins in rice flour leads to some problems for patients of celiac; a digestive autoimmune disease. Consumption of a non-gluten regime can decrease the effects of this disease. The ai...
Vitamin D: Is There a New Era?
Background: In recent decades, much interest has been focused on investigating new roles of vitamin D in human body beyond the mineral-ion homeostasis. Methods: By searching medical databases such as PubMed, over 16000 a...