Predictors of vitamin A rich food consumption among women living in households growing orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes in selected regions in Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID22080641
AuthorsJoyce Nankumbi (0000-0001-9147-4559, University of Massachusetts Amherst, corresponding author), Frederick Grant (0000-0003-4212-5816, International Potato Center), Frederick K E Grant, Lindiwe Sibeko (0000-0001-6910-5212, University of Massachusetts Amherst), Evelyn Mercado (0000-0002-2776-6634, University of Massachusetts Amherst), Norman Kwikiriza (0000-0003-1103-812X, International Potato Center), Simon Heck (0000-0001-9276-5227, International Potato Center), Lorraine S Cordeiro, Lorraine Cordeiro (0000-0002-7400-5483, University of Massachusetts Amherst, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume10
Pages880166-880166
Publication date2023-01-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2022.880166
PMID36699868
OpenAlexW4313824576
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited45

Objective: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has serious public health consequences including morbidity and mortality for populations in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially for children under 5 years and pregnant women. LMICs are at greater risk of VAD, in part due to low levels of consumption of vitamin A-rich foods most of which are plant-based, such as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP), with lower bioavailability than animal sources of the vitamin A. Food-based approaches such as biofortification of OFSP, including promoting the consumption of vitamin A-rich biofortified staple crops, has been shown to be potentially effective in improving the status of vitamin A and other micronutrients. This study examined vitamin A-rich food consumption and its predictors among women of reproductive age from OFSP-growing households in two regions of Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 617 OFSP growing households, focusing on women in the reproductive age group from the northern and eastern regions of Uganda. Households were not receiving any VAD-related intervention at the time of the survey. Quantitative data included vitamin A-rich food consumption, knowledge on vitamin A, and rich food sources dietary intake, using a 7-day food frequency questionnaire. Vitamin A consumption and risk of deficiency were estimated using the Hellen Keller International guide. Results: < 0.001] was significantly and inversely associated with vitamin A rich food consumption. Conclusion: Components of food insecurity such as availability, affordability, utilization, and changing food preferences may contribute to the unexpected inverse relationship between knowledge and consumption of vitamin A rich foods. Scaling up biofortified food initiatives, including OFSP, can improve consumption of vitamin A rich foods with effective strategies to comprehensively address consumption barriers such as lack of nutrition education, cooking skills, and storage facilities, as well as low production levels and perceived contamination of biofortified foods

Biofortification · Biology · Cross-sectional study · Environmental health · Malnutrition · Micronutrient · Micronutrient deficiency · Population · Public health · Retinol · Vitamin · Vitamin A deficiency · Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Medicine · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Food Science

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