Energy and Macronutrients Intakes among Childbearing Age Women Living in the Urban Area of Morocco: A Cross-Sectional Study

Geographic and urban-rural disparities in dietary energy and macronutrient composition among women of childbearing age: findings from the China health and nutrition survey,1991-2015

BACKGROUND

Understanding nutritional status among women of childbearing age (WCA) is of increasing concern, as nutrient intakes may affect the health of WCA and well-being of their offspring. This study aimed to investigate secular trends of dietary energy and macronutrients intakes and access longitudinally the urban-rural and geographic disparities among Chinese WCA.

METHODS

A total of 10,219 participants were involved in three rounds of the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS:1991, 2004, and 2015). Average macronutrients intakes were compared against the Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes Standard (DRIs) to better assess adequacy. Mixed effect models were used to estimate the secular trends of dietary intake.

RESULTS

A total of 10,219 participants were involved. Dietary fat, the percentage of energy (%E) from fat, and the proportion with more than 30% of energy from fat and less than 50% from carbohydrates increased notably over time (p < 0.001). In 2015, urban western WCA had the most dietary fat (89.5 g/d), %E from fat (41.4%), with the highest proportion of energy from fat (81.7%) and carbohydrate (72.1%) out the range of DRIs. From 1991 to 2015, the average urban-rural differences in dietary fat decreased from 15.7 g/d to 3.2 g/d among eastern WCA. However, it increased to 16.4 g/d and 6.3 g/d among central and western WCA, respectively.

CONCLUSION

WCA was experiencing a rapid transformation to a high-fat diet. Temporal variation with obvious urban-rural and geographic disparities in dietary. energy and macronutrient composition persistently existed among Chinese WCA.These findings have implications of future public strategies to strengthen the nutrition propaganda and education of balanced diet for WCA to help them to improve their nutritional status, especially for those living in western China.

Micronutrient intake and associated factors among pregnant women in East Africa: Multilevel logistic regression analysis

BACKGROUND

Micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy pose significant public health issues, considering the potential for negative consequences not only during pregnancy but also throughout life. Anemia in pregnant women is becoming a significant problem in developing countries, with scientific evidence indicating that 41.8 percent of women worldwide suffer from anemia. As a result, investigating the pooled prevalence and factors associated with micronutrient intake among pregnant women in East Africa is critical to alleviate the burden of micronutrient deficiency among pregnant women.

METHOD

The pooled prevalence of micronutrient intake with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported and presented in a forest plot for East Africa Countries using STATA version 14.1. Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Likelihood Ratio (LR) test, Median Odds Ratio (MOR), and deviance (-2LLR) values were used for model comparison and fitness. Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p-value ≤0.05 in the multilevel logistic model were used to declare significant factors associated with micronutrient intake.

RESULT

The pooled prevalence of micronutrient intake in East African countries was 36.07% (95% CI: 35.82%, 36.33%). In the multilevel logistic regression model, women from the highest wealth quintile were 1.06 [AOR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.11] more likely to take micronutrients compared to their counterparts. Mothers who attained primary education, secondary education, and tertiary education had 1.20 times [AOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.26], 1.28 times [AOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.36] and 1.22 times [AOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.38] more likely take micronutrient compared to mothers who attained no education, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of micronutrient intake in East Africa was low. Only 36% of the study participants had micronutrient intake practice. Socioeconomic factors (education level, and household wealth status) have been shown to influence micronutrient intake. Therefore, it is necessitates the continuation of ongoing projects as well as the development of fresh ones that concentrate on these variables and include effective treatments and programs, especially among underprivileged and vulnerable populations.

Comparison of appropriateness of Nutri-Score and other front-of-pack nutrition labels across a group of Moroccan consumers: awareness, understanding and food choices

Background

The front of pack nutrition label Nutri-Score, intended to help consumers orient their choices towards foods that are more favorable to health, was developed in France and applied in several European countries. Consideration is underway for its use in Morocco. This study aims to assess Moroccan consumers’ perception and objective understanding of Nutri-Score and 4 other nutritional information labels (Health Star Rating, Health warning, Reference Intakes and Multiple Trafic Light) and their impact on purchase intentions.

Methods

814 participants were asked to choose among 3 food classes (yoghurts, biscuits and cold cuts), which ones they would prefer to buy among three products with different nutritional profiles and then to rank them according to their nutritional quality. Participants first performed these tasks without a visible nutritional label, and then, after being randomized to one of five labels tested, with the nutritional label visible on front of packs. Next, the full set of tested labels was presented to the participants who were asked a series of questions regarding their preferences, the attractiveness of the labels, their perceptions, intention to use and the trustworthiness placed in the labels.

Results

Compared to the Reference Intake, the Nutri-Score (OR = 2.48 [1.53–4.05], p < 0.0001), was associated with the highest improvement in the ability to correctly classify foods based on their nutritional quality. The percentage of participants who improved their food choice was higher than those who worsened it for all the labels. For yogurts and cookies, the most significant improvements were observed for the Nutri-Score and the Reference Intakes: Concerning the perception of labels, the Nutri-Score is the label that received the highest number of positive responses, whether concerning the ease of being spotted (82.2%), of being understood (74%), and to provide rapid information (68.8%). The Nutri-Score was ranked as the preferred label by 64.9% of the participants.

Conclusion

The Nutri-Score appears to be the most effective nutritional information system to inform consumers about the nutritional quality of foods in Morocco, where it could constitute a useful tool to help consumers in their food choices in situations of purchase.