Consumption of African Indigenous Vegetables Improves Children’s Body Fat Free Mass in Machakos County, Kenya
Loading...
Date
2019
Authors
Wakhanu, John
Nyambaka, Hudson
Kimiywe, Judith
Nawiri, Mildred
Thagana, Wilson M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
David Publishing
Abstract
School gardens growing African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILVs) (Amaranthus cruentus and Vigna unguiculata)
were established in Kangundo and Kilalani primary schools in Machakos County, Kenya and children aged 6-10 years (Kangundo, N
= 66, Kilalani, N = 46) that met the inclusion criteria participated as study subjects. There were two phases, I (13 weeks) and II (12
weeks) with 4 weeks in between to enable crossover of the school as either experimental or control. AILVs were grown in gardens of
the experimental school. Study subjects in the experimental group were fed on the AILVs recipe with an accompaniment of a mixture
of cooked maize and beans once a day, 5 days a week per phase. The control group fed only on the accompaniment. Body Mass
Index (BMI) was determined and a prescribed dose of deuterium oxide was administered and deuterium enrichment determined by
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry for % Fat Free Mass (FFM) in children’s saliva at baseline and endline. Serum Zn and Fe
levels were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy at baseline and endline. Endline analysis in both phase I and II showed the %
FFM, mean serum Fe and Zn were significantly higher (p < 0.001) only for the experimental group. Food-based intervention through
vegetable garden establishments has potential to eradicate malnutrition among school-going children in Kenya. Further, finding by
previous studies that DDIM is more accurate in determining nutrition intervention outcomes in children than BMI is supported.
Description
Article
Keywords
School Gardens, Body Composition, Vegetable Recipes, Malnutrition
Citation
Wakhanu, J., Nyambaka, H., Kimiywe, J., Nawiri, M., & Thagana, W. M. (2019). Consumption of African Indigenous Vegetables Improves Children’s body Fat Free Mass in Machakos County, Kenya. Journal of Food Science and Engineering, 9(2019), 305-317.