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This study examines how income, household division of power and maternal decision-making ability influence dietary intake and child morbidity. A sample of 154 households with children between one and three years was drawn from six villages in Busia District, western Kenya. Information on household and maternal characteristics, morbidity, dietary intake and anthropometry was gathered between July and November 1988. Household headship was found to have no significant or direct influence on children's nutritional status. Total income was higher in female-headed households. While women in male-headed households had greater financial responsibility for household maintenance, female heads of household assumed more farming responsibilities but had higher remittances from husbands. A measure of maternal differentiation was generated by principal components analysis, constituted mainly by schooling, language ability, nutrition knowledge and information seeking behaviour. Differentiation had a strong impact in lowering morbidity and was a significant predictor of greater dietary diversity and weaning practices that supported better child nutrition and growth.

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No description available.

The Maasai of East Africa traditionally consume a diet of milk, meat, and blood. Previous studies have found the Maasai to suffer from vitamin A deficiency (VAD). This micronutrient deficiency compromises systemic immunity and increases morbidity and mortality. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to investigate the vitamin A intake of small Maasai children in Loita, Kenya. On average, children consumed 596mug/dayRAE from retinoid sources and 956mug/dayRAE when coupled with beta-carotene sources. The measles virus (MV) has yet to be eradicated from East Africa and remains a threat to young children. The Maasai have developed methods to deal with this disease and improve systemic immunity by introducing medicinal plants into the diet. Plant species added to the milk and soups of small children were determined using the FFQ. Antiviral properties of the seven most common dietary plants were then investigated, measuring MV neutralization and MV production, and compared to 7 arbitrarily selected non-medicinal plants. Significant differences (X2 p < 0.05) were found between the antiviral actions of medicinal and non-medicinal species.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Aim: To assess the effects of initial nutritional status on the responses to a school feeding programme (SFP) among school children in the Millennium Villages Project (MVP), Siaya District, Kenya. Objectives: To establish baseline data on the dietary intake, prevalence of undernutrition, body composition, prevalence of anaemia, body iron stores and vitamin A status in order to assess the impact of the SFP over a 30-month period on the same outcomes. Further, the study assessed the effect of initial nutritional status on the responses to the SFP on growth, the prevalence of anaemia, body iron stores and vitamin A status. Methods: In the MVP, a school meal additional to the children’s usual daily food intake was provided consisting of locally available foods (containing whole fish omena and beef). The meals contributed approximately 25% of the Estimated Energy Requirement (EER), 70% of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for protein, and 18% of EAR for fat. A school meal, additional to the children’s usual daily food intake, was introduced to the control group 6 months into the study as a project scale up initiative. The meal provided 15% EER, 49 % EAR for protein and 10% EAR for fat. A total of 235 children participated in the study and were followed up for 30 months, with 118 in the MVP and 117 in the control group. Statistical analysis included descriptive, Pearson’s chi-square test, repeated measures ANOVA and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: The mean subject age was 7.9 years (2.0 SD) at baseline, and half (51.4%) were boys. More than half of the children (66%) had energy intakes less than the EER. At baseline, the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight was 16.9%, 6.0% and 3.6% respectively. Prevalence of linear growth deficit based on height-for-age z-score ≤-1 standard deviation was 48%. Anaemia was higher in the MVP group (82.2%; P < 0.0001) compared to controls (58.1%) while depleted body iron stores was observed in 10.7% of the children. Half of the children in the control group and 30% in the MVP group had an inadequate vitamin A status while 11% of the children had infection/inflammation. At six months after initiation of the intervention, anaemia prevalence was reduced to 41.2% among the controls and 9.3% in the intervention group (P < 0.001). Among the MVP group, children with initial inadequate nutritional status based on weight-for-age z-score WAZ ≤ -1 SD had a higher (P < 0.01) height velocity (2.3 cm/six months) by the 24th month study interval compared to those who had an initial adequate nutritional status based on weight-for-age z-score WAZ > -1 SD. Conclusion: SPF menus were associated with potential for improved growth, gain in lean body mass and reduced anaemia prevalence when inadequate nutritional status was present at baseline. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doel: Om die verband tussen skoolkinders se aanvanklike voedingstatus en die respons op ’n skoolvoedingsprogram (SVP) in die Millennium Villages Project (MVP), Siaya-distrik, Kenia, te bepaal. Doelwitte: Om basislyn data te versamel ten opsigte van dieetinname, prevalensie van ondervoeding, liggaamssamestelling, prevalensie van anemie, ysterstore en vitamine A status ten einde die impak van die SVP oor ‘n 30-maande periode op genoemde uitkomste te bepaal. Verder het die studie ook die effek van aanvanklike voedingstatus op die respons tot die SVP bepaal ten opsigte van groei, die prevalensie van anemie, ysterstore en vitamine A status. Metode: In die MVP is ‘n skoolmaaltyd addisioneel tot die kinders in beide studiegroepe se daaglikse voedselinname voorsien. Die SVP se spyskaarte het bestaan uit plaaslik beskikbare voedsel (bevattende die vissoort omena en beesvleis) en het ongeveer 25% van die kinders se geraamde energievereistes (EER), 70% van hul proteïenvereistes (EAR) en 18% van hul vetvereistes (EAR) voorsien. ‘n Skoolmaaltyd is addisioneel tot die kinders in die kontrolegroep se gewoontelike daaglikse voedselinname ingesluit 6 maande na aanvang van die studie as deel van die MVP se uitbreidingsinisiatief. Dié maaltyd het in 15% van die kinders se energievereistes (EER), 49% van hul proteïenvereistes (EAR) en 10% van hul vetvereistes (EAR) voorsien. Altesaam 235 kinders is by die studiegroep ingesluit – 118 in die MVP en 117 in kontrolegroepe – en is vir 30 maande bestudeer. Statistiese ontleding het beskrywende ontleding, Pearson se chi-kwadraattoets, ANOVA met herhaalde metings, en multivariansie logistiese regressiemodelle ingesluit. Resultate: Die gemiddelde ouderdom van die kinders by basislyn was 7.9 jaar (2.0 SD) en die helfte (51.4%) van die respondente was seuns. Meer as die helfte van die kinders (66%) het ‘n energieinname minder as die EER getoon. By basislyn was die prevalensie van belemmerde groei, uittering en ondergewig onderskeidelik 16.9%, 6.0% en 3.6%. Die voorkoms van onvoldoende lengtegroei gebaseer op lengte-vir-ouderdom z-telling < -1SD was 48%. Anemie was hoër in die MVP groep (82.2%; p<0.0001) vergeleke met die kontroles (58.1%), terwyl 10.7% uitgeputte ysterstore getoon het. Onvoldoende vitamine A status het voorgekom in die helfte van die kinders in die kontrolegroep en 30% van die MVP groep, en infeksie / inflammasie was teenwoordig in 11% van die kinders. Die voorkoms van anemie op ses maande na aanvang van intervensie het verbeter tot 41.2% in die kontrolegroep en 9.3% in die intervensiegroep (P < 0.001). Op 24 maande het kinders met aanvanklike onvoldoende voedingstatus (WAZ < -1SD) in die MVP-groep groter lengtetoename (2.3 cm/6 maande) getoon as hul groepgenote met aanvanklike voldoende voedingstatus gebaseer op WAZ > -1 SD (P < 0.01). Gevolgtrekking: Die skoolvoedingsprogram spyskaarte het die potensiaal getoon tot ‘n verbetering in groei, toename in maer liggaamsmassa en ‘n verlaagde voorkoms van anemie onder kinders wie se basislynvoedingstatus onvoldoende was.

The value of post-infancy breast feeding for growth and nutrition has been the subject of debate and controversy. We followed a cohort of 264 western Kenyan children for six months prospectively (mean age 14 months at baseline) to investigate the influence of breast. feeding on growth. Only 14 (5%) children had been weaned by enrolment, and 173 (66%) were still breast feeding at follow-up. For analysis, children were classified into three groups of breast feeding duration as a proportion of the study: 0--49% (n = 42), 50--99% (n = 49), and 100% (n = 173). General Linear Models procedures were used for multivariate analysis. Adjusted means showed that children in the longest breast feeding group gained 3.4 cm (p < 0.001) and 360 g (p < 0.01) more than those in the shortest breast feeding group, and 0.7 cm and 230 g (p < 0.05) more than children in the intermediate group. The greatest benefits of breast feeding for linear growth were observed in households that had no latrine and whose water consumption was below 10 L/person/day. Our results support the recommendation that children in developing countries be breast-fed for at least two years.

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Agricultural biodiversity, commonly referred to as agrobiodiversity, is that part of biodiversity that is geared towards agriculture and food production. Agrobiodiversity is said to contribute much to food and nutrition, but there is lack of data confirming this, particularly from Eastern Africa. To assess the extent of agrobiodiversity on smallholder farms and in local markets and to connect these to food intake and perceptions of food security among smallholder farmers in Western Kenya, the thesis asks four main research questions: (i) What is the extent of food plant diversity in smallholder farms, the bio-physical and socio-economic factors influencing it and the contribution of this diversity to the household's food needs? (ii) What is the relationship between agricultural and dietary diversity? (iii) What linkages are there between agricultural and nutritional diversity? (iv) How does access to agrobiodiversity in local markets contribute to meeting household food needs and what is the extent of smallholder farmers' integration into these markets? Through a combination of focus group discussions, farm and market surveys conducted across three time points, results indicate that: (i) higher food plant species richness is found on farms managed by wealthier and older households. However, these households are not more food secure than the rest, (ii) while there is a lack of a strong relationship between agricultural and dietary diversity, dietary diversity is instead significantly influenced by socio-economic factors including a household's wealth status, ethnicity and education level, (iii) despite a diversity of locally available on-farm and market food species meeting existing macro-and micro-nutrient needs, there is a general lack of understanding of this diversity as food shortage months coincide with a lack of maize despite high availability of a diversity of other foods not only to replace the maize but also to contribute to a diverse diet, (iv) smallholder farmers rely on multiple food sources, with markets mainly for sourcing cereals, fruits and animal source foods. There is also low integration of smallholder farmers as sellers in local markets. Together, the four case studies show interlinkages across food availability, accessibility and utilisation, which when addressed with equal weight, could unlock local agrobiodiversity's potential as a path to food and nutrition security of smallholder farming households.