RP-Department of Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5405

Browse

Browsing RP-Department of Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics by Subject "Anemia"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Anemia in the Context of Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS: A Case of Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi Kenya
    (African Scholarly Science Communication Trust, 2009) Waweru, J.; Mugenda, O.; Kuria, E.
    Anemia is a major public health problem in Africa affecting over 80% of women in many countries. It is more common during pregnancy due to the increased demand for iron at different stages of pregnancy. In Kenya, one out of every two mothers is affected by some form of anemia. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among expectant women further increase risk of anemia prevalence and severity. This study was to determine the socio-economic characteristics, dietary pattern of pregnant women and investigate the relationship between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and HIV/AIDS in pregnancy. A case-control study was conducted in Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi Kenya. The HIV status was ascertained through HIV-antibody tests using Determine, Uni- Gold and Tie-Breaker reagents. Cases of 57 seropositive and controls of 57 seronegative pregnant women were randomly and co-currently selected. Their hemoglobin (Hb), demographic, socio-economic characteristics were determined. A 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency were used to determine the food consumption pattern. Results showed that both cases and controls were from low socio-economic status and consumed monotonous diets of plant origin particularly Ugali, a paste made from maize flour and kales vegetables locally known as Sukumawiki. Fruits were rarely consumed. The meals were mainly consumed three times in a day with snacks consumed by an insignificant number of women. With exception of pre-eclampsia, other pregnant-related problems including headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, heartburn and vomiting were more predominant among the cases than in the controls. Iron deficiency anemia was more prevalent and severe among the cases (prevalence=68%, mean Hb=9.551g/dl) than the controls (prevalence=26.3 %, mean Hb=11.974g/dl). The relative risk of being anemic was about two times higher for HIV-infected as of the uninfected pregnant women, (Relative risk=2.33). It is concluded that pregnant women from low socio-economic status consume diets with iron of low biological value, have low Hb and are generally anemic. Moreover, HIV-infected pregnant women have lower Hb and are two times more likely to be anemic than the uninfected. The HIV/AIDS infection is therefore associated with low Hb and higher anemia prevalence and severity among pregnant women. There is, therefore, a need for pre-natal nutrition care system that emphasizes improved consumption of essential nutrients including iron of high biological value and implementation of interventions tailored to check anemia prevalence and severity among pregnant women within the context of HIV/AIDS pandemic and low socioeconomic settings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Are Low Intakes and Deficiencies in Iron, Vitamin A, Zinc, and Iodine of Public Health Concern in Ethiopian, Kenyan, Nigerian, and South African Children and Adolescents?
    (SAGE Publications, 2017) Harika, Rajwinder; Faber, Mieke; Samuel, Folake; Mulugeta, Afework; Kimiywe, Judith; Eilander, Ans
    Objective: To perform a systematic review to evaluate iron, vitamin A, zinc, and iodine status and intakes in children and adolescents (0-19 years) in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Method: Both national and subnational data published from the year 2005 to 2015 were searched via MEDLINE, Scopus, and national public health websites. For each micronutrient and country, status data from relevant studies and surveys were combined into an average prevalence and weighted by sample size (WAVG). Inadequate intakes were estimated from mean (SD) intakes. Results: This review included 55 surveys and studies, 17 from Ethiopia, 11 from Kenya, 12 from Nigeria, and 16 from South Africa. The WAVG prevalence of anemia ranged from 25% to 53%, iron deficiency from 12% to 29%, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) from 14% to 42%, zinc deficiency from 32% to 63%, and iodine deficiency from 15% to 86% in children aged 0 to 19 years from 4 countries. Generally, children <5 years had higher prevalence of anemia (32%-63%), VAD (15%-35%), and zinc deficiency (35%-63%) compared to children aged 5 to 19 years. Studies with intake data indicated that inadequate intakes ranged from 51% to 99% for zinc, 13% to 100% for iron, and 1% to 100% for vitamin A. Households failing to consume adequately iodized (>15 ppm) salt ranged from 2% in Kenya to 96% in Ethiopia. Conclusion: With large variation within the 4 African countries, our data indicate that anemia and vitamin A, zinc, and iodine deficiencies are problems of public health significance. Effective public health strategies such as dietary diversification and food fortification are needed to improve micronutrient intake in both younger and older children.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Dietary Diversity Interventions and Its Impact on Iron Status of Preschool Children 36-59 Months in Emali, Kenya
    (SciVision Publishers, 2020) Kimiywe, J.O; Lubeka, C.B; Kiboi, W.K
    Background: Dietary diversity is considered crucial in ensuring adequate micronutrient intake, especially among children since they have increased nutrient requirements. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world and a major public health risk particularly in the developing countries. This study assessed the impact of dietary diversity interventions on iron status of preschool children in Emali Kenya. Methods: A non-randomized pre-post intervention trial involving 495 pre-school children aged 36-59 months in Early Childhood Development (ECD) schools was conducted. Dietary diversity of the children was enhanced by establishing school gardens in the early-childhood education centers and innovative home-gardening techniques in the homes of selected children’s caregivers. Poultry houses for rearing chicken were also constructed at the ECD centers to provide the children with good sources of protein and minerals. Structured nutrition education on appropriate child feeding was also offered to the children’s caregivers. Children were clustered in two communities the Kamba and Maasai to represent the different ecological settings. Results: Dietary diversity score improved significantly in the Kamba community which recorded a high uptake of the dietary diversity intervention programs. Only 9.1% of the children did not meet the minimum acceptable dietary diversity after the intervention from the 48.1% pre-intervention. The intake of iron-rich foods also improved considerably (77.5%) after the intervention with the prevalence of anemia reducing to 3.4%. Prevalence of anemia among the Maasai children remained high (58.3%) due to low intake of iron-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables (34.6%) and meat (21.8%). Conclusion: Anemia is a matter of public health concern among preschool children. Dietary diversity interventions such us; kitchen gardening, nutrition education (enhancement of food nutritional value through better food preparation methods) and implementation of other nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions can significantly enhance dietary diversity score and iron status of children.