Mary Murimi

Background/Objectives: Nutrition education coupled with supplemental feeding has been shown to be an effective intervention to combat child undernutrition. However, evidence of such interventions remains scarce in pastoralist communities in Kenya despite a high burden of child undernutrition. This study aimed to assess the combined effect of a theory-based nutrition education intervention and consumption of Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend on feeding practices and the nutritional status of Turkana children in Kenya. Methods: This study was a two-month-long quasi-experimental controlled trial, entailing children aged 6 months to 59 months (n = 318) and their caregivers (n = 284). Children in the intervention group received one daily meal of supplemental food for a total of eight weeks, and their caregivers received a theory-based nutrition education intervention. Linear mixed effects models and generalized estimating equations were employed to assess the combined effect of the interventions. Results: Compared to the control group, children in the intervention group were significantly more likely to consume animal-source foods, meet minimum dietary diversity, and consume more meals at the study endpoint. This study further observed a trend of greater improvement across key indicators of child nutrition status in the intervention group compared to the control group. However, none of the changes in children’s nutrition status were statistically significant. Conclusions: This study adds to the literature by demonstrating that an integrated nutrition intervention that coupled a theory-based nutrition education intervention with a blanket supplemental feeding program was effective in improving child-feeding practices in a resource-restrained, pastoralist community in Kenya.

Ethiopia has one of the highest levels of malnourished lactating mothers in sub-Saharan Africa. However, traditionally, different communities prepare foods solely for lactating mothers. For example, “Shameta” is one of the cereal-based fermented cultural foods exclusively produced for lactating mothers with the perception that it would support the health, increase the strength, and promote the recovery process of mothers after childbirth. This study investigated the effects of the fermentation time and blending ratio on the nutritional quality of “Shameta”. Three levels of blending ratio of ingredients (maize–barley–fava bean) and three levels of fermentation times were laid down in a completely randomized design (CRD). The study showed that lactic acid bacteria was the dominant group, followed by yeasts. Notably, the ingredient formulation ratio of Maize–barley–fava bean (81:5:5) had the highest LAB dominance with the highest crude fat (13.23 g/100g) content in all fermentation times (8, 10, and 12 days). However, the highest crude protein (16.56 g/100g) and mineral contents were observed in a ratio mix of 66:10:15 fermented for 12 days. The results of this study indicate that the nutritional quality of culturally prepared Shameta can be improved by optimizing the fermentation time and ingredient compositions for fast recovery, increased strength, and improved health of lactating mothers.

Ethiopia is one of the countries with the highest level of malnourishment of lactating mothers in sub-Saharan Africa. However, different communities produced different foods solely for lactating mothers. "Shameta" is one of the cereal-based fermented cultural foods exclusively produced for lactating mothers with the perception that it would support the health, strength, and recovery of mothers. This study investigated the effects of fermentation time and blending ratio on the nutritional quality of "Shameta." Three levels of blending ratio of ingredients (Maize-Barley-Fava bean) and three levels of fermentation times were laid down in a completely randomized design (CRD). The study showed that lactic acid bacteria were the dominant group, followed by yeasts. Notably, the ingredient formulation ratio of Maize-Barley-Fava bean (81:5:5) in all fermentation times (8, 10, and 12 days) results in the highest LAB dominance with the highest crude fat (13.23 g/100g) content. However, the highest crude protein (16.56 g/100g) and mineral contents were observed in a ratio mix of 66:10:15 fermented for 12 days. The nutritional quality of culturally prepared Shameta can be improved by optimizing fermentation time and ingredient compositions for better recovery, strength, and health of lactating mothers.

Shameta is a traditional, Ethiopian, cereal-based fermented porridge exclusively prepared for lactating mothers. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial quality of Shameta samples collected from households of lactating mothers and to determine microbial dynamics and physicochemical changes during laboratory fermentation of Shameta. Isolation and characterization of the dominant microbes and analysis of the physicochemical properties of samples were done following standard microbiological methods and analytical techniques. Results of this study showed that the highest mean count of lactic acid bacteria (8.33 log cfu/g) was recorded in a sample from laboratory-fermented barley-based Shameta, and the lowest (5.88 log cfu/g) in Shameta made from a mixture of barley and maize (BMS). In both barley-based and maize-based laboratory-prepared Shameta, the microflora were dominated by LAB, followed by yeasts. The dominant LAB were the genus Lactobacillus (74.85%), followed by Enterococcus (15.79%). It could be concluded that Shameta collected from households of lactating mothers are fairly safe for consumption, as the stringent physicochemical conditions of the final product could inhibit the growth of pathogens. However, as Shameta is a traditional fermented porridge fed to lactating mothers, we call for a further improvement to the fermentation process by using defined starter cultures.

This cross-sectional study compared factors associated with childhood undernutrition in a pastoral community (PC) and an agro-pastoral community (APC) in Ethiopia. Results showed that APC had lower rates of child wasting and underweight, milder levels of food insecurity, and better environmental sanitation and handwashing practices than PC. In PC, stunting was associated with severe food insecurity (p = .049), while underweight was associated with unimproved sources of drinking water and inadequate practices of purifying drinking water (p < .001). Policies to improve environmental sanitation and food security seem to be protective against child undernutrition.

Objective: To assess the dietary quality and determine the influence of food-away-from-home (FAFH) on dietary quality and weight status among faculty and staff. Participants and methods: Faculty and staff (n = 152) from a public university completed an online Food Frequency Questionnaire. Number of FAFH consumed per week, dietary intakes, dietary quality as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Results: On average participants consumed FAFH four times per week. FAFH was associated with increased intake of trans-fats (p < 0.05) and reduced HEI scores (p < 0.01). Increased consumption of trans-fats was associated with a high BMI (p < 0.001). Conversely, an increase in the HEI-2015 score was associated with a reduction in BMI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Results suggest that the consumption of FAFH increased the intake of trans-fats and decreased diet quality, while improvements in diet quality, as measured by the HEI-score, were associated with reduced BMI among faculty and staff.