Micronutrient intake of children in Ghana and Benin

Estimated contribution of diet and nutrition programs

Bibliographic Data

ID15536732
AuthorsValérie Greffeuille (0000-0001-7848-1885, Université de Montpellier, corresponding author), Mamta Dass (0000-0002-2896-9310, Institut Agro Montpelier), Nadia Fanou‐Fogny (0000-0002-9170-3734, Université d'Abomey-Calavi), Jolene Nyako (0000-0001-7049-4091, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), Jacques Berger (0000-0003-4455-6847, Université de Montpellier), Frank T Wieringa (0000-0002-6010-355X, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)
Year2022
Volume19
Issue2
Pagese13453-e13453
Publication date2022-11-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13453
PMID36394283
OpenAlexW4309245337
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited37

We estimated how micronutrient needs of young children, aged 6-24 months were covered by the standard (traditional) diets in Ghana and Benin, and the contributions of partial breastfeeding and national nutrition programs aimed at improving micronutrient status to overall micronutrient intakes. Estimates of micronutrient intake from standard diets were based on previous surveys, using the food composition table of West Africa (INFOOD). Recommended micronutrient intakes were based on World Health Organization recommendations. Children were grouped in three age groups (6-8, 9-12, and 13-24 months) to capture the changing dynamics of the complementary feeding period. As expected, from 6 months of age onwards, breastmilk didn't cover the micronutrient needs. The standard diets contributed only minimal to micronutrient intakes of children ranging from 0% to 37% of recommended intakes for Ca, Fe, Zn, vitamin A, vitamin D and iodine depending on the micronutrient considered. The contribution of mass (bio)-fortification programs to the coverage of micronutrient needs varied widely, depending on the staple food considered and the country, but overall did not allow to fill the gap in micronutrient needs of children except for vitamin A in some contexts. In contrast, consumption of voluntary fortified complementary food, especially formulated for the needs in this age groups, contributed substantially to overall micronutrient intake and could fill the gap for several micronutrients. The development of young child-targeted programs including micronutrient-dense foods, associated with interventions to increase the diet diversity and meal frequency, could significantly improve micronutrients intakes of children in both Ghana and Benin

Breastfeeding · Environmental health · Meal · Micronutrient · Micronutrient deficiency · Vitamin · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Endocrinology · Pediatrics