ABSTRACT The study examined the nutrients and phytochemicals composition of some lesser - known vegetables in Nigeria (Mucuna pruriens and Phyllantus nuriri) and their effects on iron and beta carotene status of rats. Leaf extract was collected from each vegetable. The leaves were separately plucked, sorted and extraneous materials were removed. Then they were washed with deionized water and were pulverized to get the concentrates. Standard methods were used to determine the proximate, some m...
This study was aimed at assessing the iron, zinc and anthropometric indices of pre-school children aged 2 – 5 years in Ozubulu. A total of two hundred and forty (240) preschool children were randomly selected. Questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, biochemical analysis and 3–day weighed food intake were used for data collection. Two hundred and forty (240) questionnaires were distributed to mothers and caregivers of the selected children. Out of the 240 samples, sub samples of thirty...
ABSTRACT Nutrition plays a critical role in promoting the health of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Nutritional problems strongly predict illness or death among PLWHA. However, the knowledge, attitude and practices relating to adequate nutrition by this group of people have not been adequately explored in Nigeria. This study was therefore carried out to determine the knowledge, attitude and nutritional practices among PLWHA who were attending Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) clinics in Ibad...
ABSTRACT Undernutrition is a big challenge in the world though the rate of stunting has been decreasing in the past two decades. Most of undernourished children are in developing countries, comprising about one quarter of all stunted children in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of child care practices on the nutritional status of under five children in Ileje district, Songwe region, Tanzania. A cross sectional study involving of 365 children aged 0 - 59 month...
ABSTRACT Most of the complementary foods in Tanzania have been reported to be poorly prepared, low energy and nutrient density and low nutrients’ bioavailability. This study was carried out in Rombo district with the aim to assess feeding practices, nutrient content of the frequently used complementary foods, identify nutrient gaps and then develop more nutritious recipes that may either fill or narrow the gaps. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three ra ndomly selected villages. In...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effects of different traditional cooking methods on the nature of starch in some Nigerian starchy staples. The staples used were yam (Dioscorea spp), cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta spp), cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz),and plantain (Musa paradisiaca spp). Yam and plantain were cooked into boiled and roasted forms. Cocoyam was prepared as cocoyam chips, while cassava was used to produce cassava dough, tapioca, and cassava foo foo and gari p...
ABSTRACT Nutrient contents of foods widely grown and commonly consumed in Morogoro Municipality were determined, aiming at establishing nutrient composition databases of foods in the study area. Data was collected in dry (July to September) and wet (January to March) seasons. A total of 144 respondents were selected from eight wards using simple random technique. Selected nutrient contents of raw and cooked foods were analyzed according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOA...
ABSTRACT Dietary inadequacy and malnutrition among pregnant women has a direct impact on pregnancy outcome. The causes of maternal malnutrition include inadequate food intake, poor nutritional quality of diets, frequent infections and short inter-pregnancy intervals. Tanzania is faced with high maternal malnutrition especially in the rural areas. The aim of this study was to assess the dietary intake and determine the nutritional status of pregnant women in rural Tanzania. Although pregnancy...
ABSTRACT Currently, there is a growing trend towards gathering children at orphanage centres (OCs) due to societal changes. This leaves many unanswered questions related to the quality of care offered to children living in OCs. This study aimed to examine care practices and support provided to children living in orphanage centers in Morogoro and Dar es Salaam regions. A cross sectional study design using a questionnaire, observations, anthropometric and biochemical measurements was used to c...
ABSTRACT Lack of dietary diversity is a serious health problem in developing countries because diets are dominantly starchy staples. This study aimed at assessing healthy eating behaviors and dietary diversity among people living in Morogoro urban, rural and Mvomero districts. A cross sectional study was conducted to assess eating behaviors and dietary diversity in 150 households. Dietary diversity was assessed by using un-quantified validated 24 hours recall method. Anthropometric measureme...
ABSTRACT Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and iron deficiency (ID) are global public health problems affecting developing countries with major consequences on human health as well as social and economic development. PEM at early childhood has serious long-term consequences because it impedes motor, sensory, cognitive, social and emotional development. Food-based strategies such as food production, dietary diversification and bio-fortification are the most sustainable and best approaches to ...
ABSTRACT Proper complementation for children under the age of five years is important for optimal health. More than a quarter of under-five children in Tanzania are malnourished with prevalence rates of stunting (29%), underweight (11.8%) and wasting (4.7%) in the Singida region. A longitudinal survey was conducted to determine the effect of complementary feeding on the growth patterns of under-five children in Majiri ward, Manyoni District, Singida Region. Three hundred and sixteen mother-c...
ABSTRACT Surveillance was conducted during the year 2016/2017 in Dar es Salaam region, Tanzania to determine the levels of fumonisins contamination in pre-packed cereal-legume complementary flour. The concentration of fumonisin was determined using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The concentration of fumonisin B1 ranged from 2. to 60 669µg/kg (mean 2371.8 µg/kg), fumonisin B2 ranged from 5.74 to 15 758 µg/kg (mean 901.2 µg/kg) and the total fumonisins (FB1 + FB2) ranged fro...
ABSTRACT The public is exposed to all sorts of nutrition issues which they need to understand in order to reach the right decisions. The overall objective of the study was to assess nutrition information offered by providers of alternative health care to people with seemingly dietary-related problems. The study design was cross-sectional, in which a sample size of 375 clients and 75 practitioners were interviewed using a structured questionnaire as a tool to collect information. Snowball and...
ABSTRACT Iron deficiency anaemia is still the leading cause of maternal mortality and poor pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine aetiology and risk factors associated with iron deficiency anaemia among pregnant women in Kilosa district, Tanzania. A longitudinal study involved 368 pregnant women aged 15 to 49 years in the second trimester followed to term. Socio-demographic and biochemical data were collected. Anaemia status was determined based on Hb cut-off values as recommended...