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Child Dietary Patterns and Diversity in Rural and Semi‐Rural Ghanaian Communities
Author(s) -
Gyenes Natalie,
Agbemafle Isaac,
Zotor Francis,
Duggan Christopher,
Fawzi Wafaie,
Willett Walter,
Ellahi Basma
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1149.30
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , environmental health , dietary diversity , malnutrition , medicine , food group , breast feeding , rural area , cross sectional study , geography , agriculture , pediatrics , food security , archaeology , pathology
Background Poor child feeding practices contribute to childhood malnutrition and have long‐term consequences for non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) in later life, but little is known about these patterns in rural Ghana. This study assessed dietary patterns and diversity among children under five years in rural and semi‐rural areas in Ghana. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was undertaken among 1185 households in Eastern, Volta and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. Households with children under age 5 years were sampled. Children from the households were randomly selected and information on liquid/medicine, supplement use, breast feeding history and special foods consumed were obtained from their caregivers using a pretested semi‐structured questionnaire. Dietary intake patterns and dietary diversity of the children were assessed using a 24‐hour recall. Pearson's chi‐square was used to determine associations between region and dietary patterns and diversity. Results 873 children were recruited of whom 52% were females. Breastfeeding frequency (at least 6 times) was highest within each of the three geographical regions. Multivitamins and oral rehydration solutions were the commonly reported medications. In increasing order of consumption, the main liquids consumed were soup, porridge and plain water. The main ingredients used for porridge were maize flour, water and sugar. Food items used to enrich the porridge varied by region. Groundnut paste and milk were commonly used to enrich porridge in all the three regions. Special foods such as commercially prepared fortified cereal‐legume blends and locally prepared wheat/corn‐soy blend were reported to be eaten occasionally. The commonly consumed food groups were cereals (14.9%), vegetables (14.9%), fish and sea foods (12.2%) and roots and tubers (10.4%) and these differed significantly by region (p<0.0001). Dietary diversity was low for 91% of the children and this trend was similar in all the three regions. There were significant differences in dietary diversity across the three regions (p=0.001). Conclusion Child feeding practices in rural and semi‐rural communities in Ghana show low dietary diversity. This has implications for childhood malnutrition and non communicable diseases in adult life, highlighting the importance of prioritizing nutrition interventions in order to address childhood malnutrition. Support or Funding Information This Research was supported in part by a grant from the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as well as the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health.