An overview of the nutritional status of childbearing age women, children and adolescents living in a rural area of Madagascar: preliminary results of the Tany Vao project.
Public Health Nutr 2024;
27:e52. [PMID:
38282033 PMCID:
PMC10882536 DOI:
10.1017/s1368980024000259]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To describe the food consumption, nutrition knowledge and nutritional assessment of childbearing age women and their children, living in rural villages in Madagascar. The results presented are related to the Tany Vao research study.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional pilot study.
SETTING
The study was carried out in Ampanitosoha village on Nosy Mitsio island in Madagascar.
PARTICIPANTS
32 women (14-49 years) and 36 children and adolescents (2-17 years).
RESULTS
70 % of the women lacked nutrition knowledge and did not reach the Minimum Dietary Diversity Index for Women cut-off. The median BMI was 21·1 kg/m2 but 55·2 % of the women exceeded the cut-off for waist-to-hip ratio, 51·7 % for waist-to-height ratio and 81·2 % for mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Almost all had adequate intake of energy, protein and carbohydrates, while 27·6 % had excessive fat intake and 75·9 % of added sugars. Over half of the women did not meet the micronutrients Reference Daily Intake (RDI). For children, the MUAC z-score was lower for boys than for girls (P-value = 0·041).
CONCLUSIONS
These results underline the importance of increasing women's nutritional knowledge to promote healthy pregnancy and lactation. Moreover, it is fundamental to provide people living in rural areas with sustainable tools to improve dietary diversity and support long-term health.
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