Thesis (MNutr (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Human Nutrition))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / INTRODUCTION: The objective of this research study was to analyze previously collected dietary intake data using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls and semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQ’s) in a group of HIV-positive and HIV-negative breastfeeding women from a rural region in KwaZulu-Natal in order to compare the intake of selective micronutrients obtained with the two instruments. Identifying the pattern of food intake and the contribution of different foods to the micronutrient intake in this population group will contribute to possible recommendations aimed at dietary changes to improve dietary micronutrient intake. This study was designed as a sub-study of a longitudinal prospective cohort study and subjects (N=108) were lactating mothers enrolled in a cohort which investigated the combined effect of HIV-infection and breastfeeding on women’s nutritional status. METHOD: A locally constructed FFQ and 24h-recall were used to collect dietary intake data from 108 subjects on three occasions, (~6 weeks, 14- and 24-weeks post partum). Analysis was done using the Food Finder Program™2. Micronutrients under investigation were iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin A, B6, C, D and E, thiamin, riboflavin and folic acid and were selected on their relevance in HIV (AIDS). Descriptive statistics was used to determine the consumption of food items as percentage of all food items consumed and to calculate mean, mode, median and range of serving sizes for the ten food items most frequently consumed (measured with the 24h and FFQ respectively). Data was not normally distributed (indicated by the paired t-test and confirmed with a RM ANOVA nonparametric test). The F-value was determined (using Wilcoxon matched pairs test) and the significance of the difference between the micronutrient intakes measured with the two instruments (p<0.05) calculated. To investigate the strength of the correlation between the two dietary intake measures, Spearman’s correlation coefficients were determined for the nutrients under investigation. The significance level for these measurements was 95% (p<0.05). RESULTS: Both methods identified maize meal and mahewu, bread, chicken, dried beans, cabbage, onion, bananas, oranges and green leaves as the foods most often consumed. Bread, dried beans, maas, pilchards, mango and green wild leaves were the foods that contributed the most to the micronutrients under investigation. Although maize meal (in the form of phutu or mahewu) was the food item most frequently consumed in large portions, it was not in the top ten food items for any micronutrient contribution, except for selenium. Correlation coefficients (unadjusted for energy) in this study were very poor, ranging from 0.038 for vitamin B12 up to 0.48 for iron. All correlations (except vitamin B12) were poor but significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was some agreement found in the type of foods most frequently consumed and their contribution to the micronutrient intake of this population group, when using three 24h-recalls and FFQ’s and therefore in describing the habitual food intake of the population group. There was however no agreement between the micronutrient intake measured with three 24h-recalls and three FFQ’s (p<0.05). Further analysis of the data and comparisons with the biochemical results reported in another study, is recommended.

This study was done with the objective of designing and applying a nutrition education program based on a test of improved practices for pregnant women and women of childbearing age in the rural communities of Ibarra canton: La Riconada and Cuambo. For this, information was collected on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the eating habits of pregnant women. These results were used to identify content and recommendations to reinforce and/or instruct about eating during pregnancy. Nutrition education was based on the methodology of the improved practices test, which consisted of testing the recommendations in families' homes before recommending them and recording information on their acceptability. The results indicate that pregnant women in the two communities don't eat all the food groups every day. They need to increase the consumption of foods rich in calcium and iron, as well as foods that supply energy, protein, and fats. The pregnant women don't eat additional foods to cover these recommendations during the pregnancy. Despite the knowledge they have and the lessons they received, there are women who don't eat greens, vegetables, and fruits because they don't like them, and those who do eat them don't meet the established nutritional recommendations. The women prefer to eat artificial drinks with unboiled water, and they do not look after personal hygiene. The test of improved practices has been useful for observing if they really put in practice the knowledge about eating during pregnancy, and at the same time it helped design the educational proposal that served as a guide to help improve eating practices of pregnant women in the two rural communities, considering their motivations and recommendations.

No description available.

Not available

The purpose of this project was to design a series of self-directed learning modules for enrollees in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Riverside County, California. The WIC Program is a supplemental nutrition program that, among other things, provides participants with nutrition education to help them understand the health benefits of choosing more nutritious food. This project features information concerning the problem of food insecurity, the nutrition education of low-income women and children in the WIC program, and the characteristics of adult learners. The objective was to examine the WIC participants' comprehension and willingness to use self-directed learning modules as a nutrition education supplement.