Browsing by Author "Van Rooyen, F. C."

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    Effect of a nutrition education programme on nutritional status of children aged 3 - 5 years in Limpopo Province, South Africa
    (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2015-08) Mushaphi, Lindelani Fhumudzani; Dannhauser, A.; Walsh, C. M.; Mbhenyane, X. G.; Van Rooyen, F. C.
    Background. Globally, the prevalence of chronic and acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency is high in young children, especially in developing countries. Nutrition education is an important intervention to address these challenges. Objective. To determine the nutritional (anthropometric and micronutrient) status of children aged 3 - 5 years at baseline and post intervention. Methods. A pre-test–post-test control group design was chosen, which included eight villages (four villages in the experimental group (E); four villages in the control group (C)). The Nutrition Education Intervention Programme (NEIP) comprised ten topics emphasising healthy eating, hygiene and sanitation. Results. At baseline, 15% (E) - 22.4% (C) of children were stunted. Very few children were underweight in both groups (E = 2.5%; C = 8.2%) and only 2.5% of children were wasted in the E group at baseline. At baseline, about a third of children in both groups (E = 38.5%; C = 30.8%) had marginal vitamin A status (100 - 199.9 µg/L), while <10% in the E group (E = 7.7%) had vitamin A deficiency (<100 µg/L). According to the categories for indicators of iron status, the number of children who were in the ‘adequate’ category for serum iron, serum ferritin, serum transferrin and percentage transferrin saturation did not change in both groups at postintervention assessment. In both groups, nutritional status of children (both anthropometric and blood variables) did not change significantly following intervention. Conclusion. The nutrition intervention did not have a significant effect on indicators of nutritional status, possibly owing to its short duration (12 months) and the fact that food supplementation was not included.
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    The impact of a nutrition education programme on feeding practices of caregivers with children aged 3 to 5 years in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa
    (Co-published by Medpharm Publications, NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis Group, 2017) Mushaphi, L. F.; Dannhauser, A.; Walsh, C. M.; Mbhenyane, X. G.; Van Rooyen, F. C.
    Objective: To determine the impact of nutrition education on feeding practices of caregivers with children aged 3 to 5 years at baseline and post intervention. Methodology: A pre-test–post-test control group design was chosen using eight villages (four villages in the experimental group (E) and four villages in the control group (C)). The nutrition education intervention programme (NEIP) comprised ten topics emphasising healthy eating, hygiene and sanitation. Results: Majority of children in both the experimental and control groups were given three meals or more per day, including starchy and protein rich foods at baseline and post intervention. The median carbohydrates and protein intake in both groups was adequate when compared to the Estimated Average Requirements/Recommended Dietary Allowance (EAR/RDA), though median energy intake was inadequate. Even before intervention, the majority of children ate indigenous foods. Despite this, the intake of some indigenous foods did improve significantly in the experimental group, but not in the control group (termites; mopani worms; indigenous vegetables including black jack, spider flower and wild jute; and, indigenous fruits including baobab fruit and pawpaw). On the other hand, the intake of mixed traditional dishes as well as the intake of the indigenous foods, stinging nettle, meldar, wild peach, pineapple, dovhi, tshigume and thophi, increased significantly in both the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: Due to the fact that most children in both groups consumed most food items, including indigenous foods, before the intervention, improvements were only seen in a few feeding practices in the experimental group after the NEIP.