Ramya Ambikapathi
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 2132901 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Ramya Ambikapathi |
| NOMBRES | Ramya |
| APELLIDO | Ambikapathi |
| FIRMA | AMBIKAPATHI R |
| AFILIACIONES | Purdue University West Lafayette |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2013-2516 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 22 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 1 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 22 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2016 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 1 |
Informality in food environments
Shrinking appetites
BACKGROUND: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based medicines (for example Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound) are moving rapidly from specialist care to mass adoption in high-income countries, with measurable effects on food purchases and eating patterns. Early retail and household panel data from the United States indicate that households with a GLP-1 user reduce total grocery spending by about 5% within six months, with larger declines among higher-incom…
Effects of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions on Child Nutrition Outcomes and Related Parent Behaviors in Rural Tanzania
Suboptimal diets contribute to child malnutrition globally. The Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania (EFFECTS) study developed interventions that engaged fathers and delivered bundled nutrition and parenting content and tested their individual and combined effects on child dietary diversity and upstream parental behaviors. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Mara, Tanzania, 80 villages were randomly a…
A new estimate for global and country-level employment in agrifood systems
Globally, 1.29B people worked in agrifood systems in 2021: 868M in agriculture, 418M in non-agriculture AFS. • AFS jobs dominate Africa (64%) and Asia (42%), with agriculture accounting for 48% and 29%, respectively. • Overall, 3.78B people live in households reliant on agrifood system-based livelihoods. • New dataset covers 184 countries (99% of population) and includes a balanced panel of 149 countries from 2000–2021. Global and national policy…
Effects of engaging fathers and bundling parenting and nutrition interventions on early child development and maternal and paternal parenting in Mara, Tanzania
BACKGROUND: Multicomponent interventions are needed to address the various co-occurring risks that compromise early child nutrition and development. We compared the independent and combined effects of engaging fathers and bundling parenting components into a nutrition intervention on early child development (ECD) and parenting outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a 2×2 factorial cluster-randomized controlled trial across 80 villages in Mara Region, Ta…
Food purchase diversity is associated with market food diversity and diets of children and their mothers but not fathers in rural Tanzania
Rural households in East Africa rely on local markets, but the influence of market food diversity and household food purchase diversity on diets has not been well-characterized. We quantify the associations among market food diversity, household food purchase diversity and dietary diversity of mothers, fathers and children in rural Tanzania. This study uses baseline data from a randomized controlled trial, Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nut…
Inclusive diets within planetary boundaries
Effects of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on household gender equality and women's empowerment in rural Tanzania
Advancing gender equality and women's empowerment (GE/WE) may contribute to better child nutrition and development in low-resource settings. However, few empirical studies have generated evidence on GE/WE and examined the potential of engaging men to transform gender norms and power relations in the context of nutrition and parenting programs. We tested the independent and combined effects of engaging couples and bundling nutrition and parenting …
Operational Characteristics of Women Street Food Vendors in Rural South Africa
Objective To characterize the operations of the street food enterprise in the Vhembe district, focusing on business profile, sold foods, inputs, pricing, record-keeping practices and total running cost. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional face-to-face study of 511 vendors was done using a structured researcher-administered questionnaire comprising demographic and operational characteristics. Convenience sampling was used to choose the vending s…
Evolution of infant feeding practices in children from 9 to 24 months, considering complementary feeding indicators and food processing
Infant feeding practices impact children's nutritional and health status, influencing growth and development. This study aimed to analyse the evolution of infant feeding practices from 9 to 24 months of age, considering infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators and food processing. The infant feeding practices in children from the Brazilian site of the MAL-ED study were evaluated at 9 (n = 193), 15 (n = 182) and 24 months (n = 164) using 2…
Exploring drivers of food choice among PLHIV and their families in a peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The use of this expanded framework that included a family perspective on PLHIV food choice illuminated the various households decision-making dynamics that took place in this low resource community. Family members of PLHIV tried to buffer the limitations imposed by the external food environment, especially as the disease progressed. In the context of HIV status disclosure, integrating a family perspective into HIV nutrition interventions and prog…
Characteristics associated with the transition to partial breastfeeding prior to 6 months of age
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. However, the transition of the infants' diet to partial breastfeeding with the addition of animal milks and/or solids typically occurs earlier than this. Here, we explored factors associated with the timing of an early transition to partial breastfeeding across seven sites of a birth cohort study in which twice weekly information on infant feeding practices was collected. …
Influences on catch-up growth using relative versus absolute metrics
The study children demonstrated improved growth from 24 to 60 months of age, but only a subset had positive changes in HAD and WAD. The same environmental factors were associated with growth from 24 to 60 months regardless of metric used (change in HAZ or HAD, or WAZ and WAD)
The role of chicken management practices in children’s exposure to environmental contamination
Clinical trials number: NCT03152227 ; Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on May 12, 2012
Micronutrient intake and the probability of nutrient adequacy among children 9–24 months of age
Objective: To estimate the total energy and micronutrient intakes of children 9–24 months of age and evaluate the probability of adequacy (PA) of the diet in seven MAL-ED sites. Design: Cohort study. Food intake was registered monthly using 24-h recalls beginning at 9 months. We estimated PA for thirteen nutrients and overall mean PA (MPA) by site and 3-month periods considering estimated breast milk intake. Setting: Seven sites in Asia, Africa a…
La Niña weather impacts dietary patterns and dietary diversity among children in the Peruvian Amazon
Objective: In 2011–2012, severe El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions (La Niña) led to massive flooding and temporarily displacement in the Peruvian Amazon. Our aims were to examine the impact of this ENSO exposure on child diets, in particular: (1) frequency of food consumption patterns, (2) the amount of food consumed (g/d), (3) dietary diversity (DD), (4) consumption of donated foods, among children aged 9–36 months living in the outs…
Men's nutrition knowledge is important for women's and children's nutrition in Ethiopia
In an effort to address undernutrition among women and children in rural areas of low-income countries, nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) and behaviour change communication (BCC) projects heavily focus on women as an entry point to effect nutritional outcomes. There is limited evidence on the role of men's contribution in improving household diets. In this Agriculture to Nutrition trial (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03152227), we explore…
Market food diversity mitigates the effect of environment on women’s dietary diversity in the Agriculture to Nutrition (Atonu) study, Ethiopia
Objective In Ethiopia, women’s dietary diversity is low, primarily due to poor food availability and access, both at home and market level. The present study aimed to describe market access using a new definition called market food diversity (MFD) and estimate the impact of MFD, crop and livestock diversity on dietary diversity among women enrolled in the Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU) trial. Design Baseline cross-sectional data collected from …
Social connectedness is associated with food security among peri-urban Peruvian Amazonian communities
Although households reported networks that spanned rural villages and urban centers, contacts within the community, with whom food was regularly shared, were most important to maintaining food security. Interventions that build within-community connectedness in peri-urban settings may increase food security
Associations of land, cattle and food security with infant feeding practices among a rural population living in Manyara, Tanzania
Health promotion programs are needed to delay the introduction of animal milks and grain-based porridge, and to achieve a minimum acceptable diet after 6 months of age among smallholder farmers in rural Tanzania. Results highlight that livelihoods-based health promotion interventions, built from a flexible and integrated design, may be an important strategy to address community-level variation in infant feeding practices and promote optimal IYCF …
Infant feeding practices and determinant variables for early complementary feeding in the first 8 months of life
Objective The present study aimed to describe breast-feeding, complementary feeding and determining factors for early complementary feeding from birth to 8 months of age in a typical Brazilian low-income urban community. Design A birth cohort was conducted ( n 233), with data collection twice weekly, allowing close observation of breast-feeding, complementary feeding introduction and description of the WHO core indicators on infant and young chil…
How multiple episodes of exclusive breastfeeding impact estimates of exclusive breastfeeding duration
The duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is often defined as the time from birth to the first non‐breast milk food/liquid fed (EBFLONG), or it is estimated by calculating the proportion of women at a given infant age who EBF in the previous 24 h (EBFDHS). Others have measured the total days or personal prevalence of EBF (EBFPREV), recognizing that although non‐EBF days may occur, EBF can be re‐initiated for extended periods. We compared brea…
Effects of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on household gender equality and women's empowerment in rural Tanzania
Advancing gender equality and women's empowerment (GE/WE) may contribute to better child nutrition and development in low-resource settings. However, few empirical studies have generated evidence on GE/WE and examined the potential of engaging men to transform gender norms and power relations in the context of nutrition and parenting programs. We tested the independent and combined effects of engaging couples and bundling nutrition and parenting …
How multiple episodes of exclusive breastfeeding impact estimates of exclusive breastfeeding duration
The duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is often defined as the time from birth to the first non‐breast milk food/liquid fed (EBFLONG), or it is estimated by calculating the proportion of women at a given infant age who EBF in the previous 24 h (EBFDHS). Others have measured the total days or personal prevalence of EBF (EBFPREV), recognizing that although non‐EBF days may occur, EBF can be re‐initiated for extended periods. We compared brea…
Social connectedness is associated with food security among peri-urban Peruvian Amazonian communities
Although households reported networks that spanned rural villages and urban centers, contacts within the community, with whom food was regularly shared, were most important to maintaining food security. Interventions that build within-community connectedness in peri-urban settings may increase food security
Associations of land, cattle and food security with infant feeding practices among a rural population living in Manyara, Tanzania
Health promotion programs are needed to delay the introduction of animal milks and grain-based porridge, and to achieve a minimum acceptable diet after 6 months of age among smallholder farmers in rural Tanzania. Results highlight that livelihoods-based health promotion interventions, built from a flexible and integrated design, may be an important strategy to address community-level variation in infant feeding practices and promote optimal IYCF …
Infant feeding practices and determinant variables for early complementary feeding in the first 8 months of life
Objective The present study aimed to describe breast-feeding, complementary feeding and determining factors for early complementary feeding from birth to 8 months of age in a typical Brazilian low-income urban community. Design A birth cohort was conducted ( n 233), with data collection twice weekly, allowing close observation of breast-feeding, complementary feeding introduction and description of the WHO core indicators on infant and young chil…
Market food diversity mitigates the effect of environment on women’s dietary diversity in the Agriculture to Nutrition (Atonu) study, Ethiopia
Objective In Ethiopia, women’s dietary diversity is low, primarily due to poor food availability and access, both at home and market level. The present study aimed to describe market access using a new definition called market food diversity (MFD) and estimate the impact of MFD, crop and livestock diversity on dietary diversity among women enrolled in the Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU) trial. Design Baseline cross-sectional data collected from …
Men's nutrition knowledge is important for women's and children's nutrition in Ethiopia
In an effort to address undernutrition among women and children in rural areas of low-income countries, nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) and behaviour change communication (BCC) projects heavily focus on women as an entry point to effect nutritional outcomes. There is limited evidence on the role of men's contribution in improving household diets. In this Agriculture to Nutrition trial (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03152227), we explore…
Characteristics associated with the transition to partial breastfeeding prior to 6 months of age
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. However, the transition of the infants' diet to partial breastfeeding with the addition of animal milks and/or solids typically occurs earlier than this. Here, we explored factors associated with the timing of an early transition to partial breastfeeding across seven sites of a birth cohort study in which twice weekly information on infant feeding practices was collected. …
Influences on catch-up growth using relative versus absolute metrics
The study children demonstrated improved growth from 24 to 60 months of age, but only a subset had positive changes in HAD and WAD. The same environmental factors were associated with growth from 24 to 60 months regardless of metric used (change in HAZ or HAD, or WAZ and WAD)
The role of chicken management practices in children’s exposure to environmental contamination
Clinical trials number: NCT03152227 ; Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on May 12, 2012
Micronutrient intake and the probability of nutrient adequacy among children 9–24 months of age
Objective: To estimate the total energy and micronutrient intakes of children 9–24 months of age and evaluate the probability of adequacy (PA) of the diet in seven MAL-ED sites. Design: Cohort study. Food intake was registered monthly using 24-h recalls beginning at 9 months. We estimated PA for thirteen nutrients and overall mean PA (MPA) by site and 3-month periods considering estimated breast milk intake. Setting: Seven sites in Asia, Africa a…
La Niña weather impacts dietary patterns and dietary diversity among children in the Peruvian Amazon
Objective: In 2011–2012, severe El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions (La Niña) led to massive flooding and temporarily displacement in the Peruvian Amazon. Our aims were to examine the impact of this ENSO exposure on child diets, in particular: (1) frequency of food consumption patterns, (2) the amount of food consumed (g/d), (3) dietary diversity (DD), (4) consumption of donated foods, among children aged 9–36 months living in the outs…
Operational Characteristics of Women Street Food Vendors in Rural South Africa
Objective To characterize the operations of the street food enterprise in the Vhembe district, focusing on business profile, sold foods, inputs, pricing, record-keeping practices and total running cost. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional face-to-face study of 511 vendors was done using a structured researcher-administered questionnaire comprising demographic and operational characteristics. Convenience sampling was used to choose the vending s…
Evolution of infant feeding practices in children from 9 to 24 months, considering complementary feeding indicators and food processing
Infant feeding practices impact children's nutritional and health status, influencing growth and development. This study aimed to analyse the evolution of infant feeding practices from 9 to 24 months of age, considering infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators and food processing. The infant feeding practices in children from the Brazilian site of the MAL-ED study were evaluated at 9 (n = 193), 15 (n = 182) and 24 months (n = 164) using 2…
Exploring drivers of food choice among PLHIV and their families in a peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The use of this expanded framework that included a family perspective on PLHIV food choice illuminated the various households decision-making dynamics that took place in this low resource community. Family members of PLHIV tried to buffer the limitations imposed by the external food environment, especially as the disease progressed. In the context of HIV status disclosure, integrating a family perspective into HIV nutrition interventions and prog…
Inclusive diets within planetary boundaries
Effects of engaging fathers and bundling nutrition and parenting interventions on household gender equality and women's empowerment in rural Tanzania
Advancing gender equality and women's empowerment (GE/WE) may contribute to better child nutrition and development in low-resource settings. However, few empirical studies have generated evidence on GE/WE and examined the potential of engaging men to transform gender norms and power relations in the context of nutrition and parenting programs. We tested the independent and combined effects of engaging couples and bundling nutrition and parenting …
Effects of engaging fathers and bundling parenting and nutrition interventions on early child development and maternal and paternal parenting in Mara, Tanzania
BACKGROUND: Multicomponent interventions are needed to address the various co-occurring risks that compromise early child nutrition and development. We compared the independent and combined effects of engaging fathers and bundling parenting components into a nutrition intervention on early child development (ECD) and parenting outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a 2×2 factorial cluster-randomized controlled trial across 80 villages in Mara Region, Ta…
Food purchase diversity is associated with market food diversity and diets of children and their mothers but not fathers in rural Tanzania
Rural households in East Africa rely on local markets, but the influence of market food diversity and household food purchase diversity on diets has not been well-characterized. We quantify the associations among market food diversity, household food purchase diversity and dietary diversity of mothers, fathers and children in rural Tanzania. This study uses baseline data from a randomized controlled trial, Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nut…
Informality in food environments
Shrinking appetites
BACKGROUND: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based medicines (for example Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound) are moving rapidly from specialist care to mass adoption in high-income countries, with measurable effects on food purchases and eating patterns. Early retail and household panel data from the United States indicate that households with a GLP-1 user reduce total grocery spending by about 5% within six months, with larger declines among higher-incom…
Effects of Engaging Fathers and Bundling Nutrition and Parenting Interventions on Child Nutrition Outcomes and Related Parent Behaviors in Rural Tanzania
Suboptimal diets contribute to child malnutrition globally. The Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania (EFFECTS) study developed interventions that engaged fathers and delivered bundled nutrition and parenting content and tested their individual and combined effects on child dietary diversity and upstream parental behaviors. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Mara, Tanzania, 80 villages were randomly a…
A new estimate for global and country-level employment in agrifood systems
Globally, 1.29B people worked in agrifood systems in 2021: 868M in agriculture, 418M in non-agriculture AFS. • AFS jobs dominate Africa (64%) and Asia (42%), with agriculture accounting for 48% and 29%, respectively. • Overall, 3.78B people live in households reliant on agrifood system-based livelihoods. • New dataset covers 184 countries (99% of population) and includes a balanced panel of 149 countries from 2000–2021. Global and national policy…
Medicine (18 obras) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (17 obras) · Environmental health (14 obras) · Agriculture (8 obras) · Demography (8 obras) · Demography (8 obras) · Food security (8 obras) · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations (8 obras) · Geography (8 obras) · Psychological intervention (8 obras)