Qualitative and quantitative dietary patterns were studied as indicators of seasonal changes in household food security in northwestern Benin. These studies were carried out at both the individual level (women) and the intra-household level (husbands, wives, children 2-5 years old). Dietary changes between the intermediate period (April) and the pro-harvest period (August) included increased consumption of pulses and tubers, which compensated for a decrease in cereal consumption, and increased consumption of gifts, purchased foods, and wild foods as distinguished from foods from the household's own production. The adequacy of children's energy and protein intakes increased in the pre-harvest season, whereas those of the parents decreased Children and adults had same patterns with regard to the contribution of different food groups, except that children ate more pulses and less tubers than their parents in the pre-harvest season.
Large variations in seasonal body-weight fluctuations have been described for individuals from different households living and working under comparable circumstances. In the present study the relationship between socio-economic household characteristics and seasonal body-weight fluctuations of individual members of rural Beninese households were studied. No significant correlation was found for bodyweight fluctuation between the two study years, nor for body-weight fluctuation of men and women belonging to the same household. When comparing dichotomized socio-economic classes for relative body-weight fluctuation of men and women in both study years, no consistent trends were observed for both years nor for both sexes. The distribution of subjects with a consistent high weight fluctuation over the two study years did not differ between socio-economic groups. In conclusion it may be stated that there were no indications that socio-economic characteristics play a determining role in the magnitude of body-weight fluctuation of this study population, despite the large variations observed in the latter. Therefore it is most likely that other factors decide the weight fluctuations of individuals, health and sanitation being the most likely candidates.Socio-economic characteristics : Seasonal body-weight fluctuation : Rural Benin
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