Gaps in knowledge and practice on dietary consumption among rural farming households; a call for nutrition education training in Tanzania

Dietary diversity and associated factors among women attending antenatal clinics in the coast region of Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Antenatal care (ANC) is crucial for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, especially in low-resource settings. During antenatal care, women are provided with resources for enhancing their dietary diversity, like nutrition education and counseling. Improved nutrition knowledge influences positive nutritional behavior change, like women's improved dietary diversity, which may increase the likelihood of a healthier pregnancy and delivery experience.

OBJECTIVE

This study aim was to assess dietary diversity and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in the Coast region of Tanzania.

METHODS

The descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to assess dietary diversity and associated factors among 338 pregnant women. A semi-structured questionnaire collected information from pregnant women on social demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity. Women were classified as having a varied diet if they had consumed at least five of the ten food groups over the previous twenty-four hours. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of dietary diversity in pregnant women.

RESULTS

Only 28% (95% CI: 23.5-33.1) (n = 95) of pregnant women met the minimum dietary diversity, and 18% (95% CI: 13.8-21.9) (n = 59) were considered to have a high level of nutrition knowledge. Living near a health facility (AOR = 1.77, CI 1.02, 3.06), having high nutrition knowledge (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.36, 4.89), and being pregnant for the first time (AOR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.09, 5.44) were associated with adequate dietary diversity.

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women in the study were found to have low knowledge about nutrition and inadequate dietary diversity intake. The findings underscore the need to improve nutrition knowledge provision in antenatal clinics by emphasizing the importance of a diversified and high-quality diet. Healthcare providers in antenatal care clinics should consistently provide nutrition education and counseling to pregnant women and promote their diversified food consumption. Such knowledge may eventually promote healthier pregnancy and child development by curbing the nutritional deficiencies experienced during pregnancy.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency among male and female farmers in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Despite a large body of literature on the nexus between knowledge, attitude and practice towards nutrition and gender, this nexus is likely to vary and is not clear in many societies, such as Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to analyze the level of gender-based knowledge, attitude, and practice towards malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency using primary data collected from two regional states in Ethiopia.

METHODS

Qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches were used. Qualitative data were analyzed using a narrative and content approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Results indicate that female are generally more adept than male at identifying the symptoms of malnutrition. However, concerning vitamin A and iodine food types and its deficiency, male respondents had relatively better knowledge and consumption practice than female. Results show that there is very little awareness about biofortified and fortified foods. When we rate respondents, male had a relatively better understanding about fortified foods than their female counterparts.

CONCLUSION

Findings can support development agents working to improve nutrition in Ethiopia to focus on improving community knowledge and perception of biofortified and fortified foods to improve diet quality through increased micronutrient intake. The majority of the respondents were aware of the importance of consuming micronutrient rich foods and had a positive attitude towards them. However, there is still a gap in practice. It may therefore require more targeted campaigns to increase the ability of community members to adopt best practices while reducing barriers to consumption of nutritious diet.

How Does an Artisan Cooperative Impact Food Perception and Consumer Behaviors? A Rapid Rural Appraisal of Women in East Africa

We examined the impact of artisan cooperatives on East African women related to changes in consumer perception and food choice. We sought to understand how artisan cooperatives were impacting women's food security, diet, and nutrition. To comprehend the lived experiences of women, a qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted within three purposively selected cooperatives in Rwanda and Kenya. Data was collected using Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) methodologies with three activities. When given a choice, women did not always eat healthier despite having more money and information about healthy diets. Diets shifted to include more sugar and fruit but less vegetables. Culture and location impacted how they cooked, what food was available to them, and what foods they chose to consume. Women explained how a higher income provided greater agency when buying food. It is crucial to comprehend how culture affects a person's diet before implementation of nutrition programs. Further research is needed to determine if cooperatives geared toward women's empowerment and economic sustainability can enhance the nutritional benefits of increased income in culturally relevant ways. This study has implications regarding sustainable development goals with international development programs that utilize locally sourced foods and are culturally viable.

Nutritional knowledge, attitude and practices among pregnant females in 2020 Shenzhen China: A cross-sectional study

The theory of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) can well explain the whole process of pregnant females' practice to obtain balanced nutrition. However, the process of KAP works very differently in populations with different sociodemography. This study aims to investigate the sociodemographic determinants associated with pregnant females' nutritional KAP and find a way to locate the vulnerable pregnant females who would benefit most from intervention. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on pregnant females' KAP regarding food nutrition at the University of Chinese Academy of Science Shenzhen Hospital from December 2020 to February 2021. A total of 310 pregnant females aged 18-40 years were interviewed. And we assessed the influence of sociodemographic factors on KAP and built a model for screening the vulnerable group who would benefit most from intervention. The results showed that on nutritional knowledge and practice, only 15.2% and 47.3% were above 0.6 respectively, while 91% were above 0.75 on attitude. Age, Husband's Education Degree, Monthly Income of Family, Nutritional Knowledge and Nutritional Attitude were statistically significant predictors of the vulnerable group. There was a gap between knowledge (3.8% were good or above) and attitude (91% were good or above), attitude and practice (16.8% were good or above). Age, household registry, education level, monthly income, and nutrition knowledge were associated with nutrition practices. This study highlights that nutritional education interventions targeting certain populations may improve the conversion rate of nutrition practices, and presents a predictive model to locate the vulnerable group.

Identifying effective message-framing techniques in behaviour change communication for healthy diets: An experimental study of promoting biofortified maize adoption in Ethiopia

There is an increasing interest in using insights from behavioural economics and psychology to influence people's decisions. However, little is known as to how to leverage these insights to inform educational campaigns in the context of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. We help to fill this void by investigating the effect of framed messages (gain vs loss) in stimulating demand for nutritionally enhanced crops. We conducted a field experiment with 648 farmers and found the following key results. First, nutrition education stimulates demand for nutritionally enhanced crops among smallholder farmers. Without nutrition education, farmers are less likely to switch from producing conventional maize to nutritionally enhanced maize. Second, gain-framed messages are slightly more effective: they result in a higher willingness to pay for nutritionally enhanced maize than loss-framed messages. Third, motivational orientations and risk perceptions of individuals moderate the effect of the framed messages.

Drivers of Millet Consumption Among School Aged Children in Central Tanzania

Background: Iron and zinc deficiency are common public health problems in low-income countries largely due to poor consumption of iron and zinc rich foods. It has previously been observed that 57% of school aged children (SAC) in Tanzania suffer from anemia. In addition, estimates indicate that over 25% of the population have inadequate zinc intake. Pearl millet is an example of a nutrient dense, resilient cereal crop, that can be promoted to diversify diets and combat iron and zinc deficiency. This study overall aim was to increase pearl millet consumption among school aged (5 – 12 years) children. As part of the study, we investigated, the drivers of food choice relating to pearl millet consumption.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study of randomly selected households in Kongwa district, Dodoma region of Tanzania. In total, 128 women of reproductive age (20 – 49 years) were randomly selected for the study. A study questionnaire consisting of 66 items, was developed and validated. The constructs in the questionnaire were categorized in two groups: internal and external factors. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with statements read to them by interviewers. The scores on intention and behavior constructs were based on the number of times caregivers intended to, or had fed their school going children with pearl millet in the referent month. Intention was considered high if it was higher than the median intention score of the group, and low if it was equal to or lower than the median scores. Correlations and multiple linear regressions were performed to measure association between constructs and to identify predictive constructs. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for score comparison.

Results: There was a significant difference between intention and behavior among those who did not consume pearl millet (P = 0.003), and those who consumed pearl millet two or more times a week, in the same month (P = 0.01). Knowledge was significantly correlated with behavior identity (ρ = 0.58, P = 0.001), while health behavior identity was significantly correlated with intention (ρ = 0.31, P = 0.001). Intention of caregivers was significantly and positively correlated (ρ = 0.44, P = 0.001) with and predicted consumption of pearl millet (ρ = 0.87, P = 0.067).

Conclusion: Increasing knowledge or awareness on nutritional benefits of pearl millet among caregivers may increase consumption of pearl millet by children of school going age.

Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in Rural Tanzania: Mapping Perceptions for Social Learning

In Tanzania, a high level of hunger persists. Several factors compound a complex scenario of food insecurity. Contextual aspects at the community level can influence the maintenance of the vulnerable local conditions. This article aims to better understand these aspects by investigating community problem perceptions in n = 04 remote rural villages in Tanzania. Furthermore, how to include community perceptions as a pedagogical element of food security projects is discussed. The methodology consists of three steps: preparatory exploration; household survey (n = 663); and pedagogical workshops (n = 270). The main results indicate that inhabitants of the four villages identify and describe their problems differently. We discovered food insecurity's hidden factors. Community problem perceptions and local knowledge play fundamental roles in critical food security, despite the environmental conditions' effect (lack of infrastructure, water scarcity). The pedagogical process of Codification and Decoding of hunger situations can generate more effective educational programs for social learning.