BackgroundPoor nutritional status during childhood and its long-term impact on economic growth and wellbeing is well known. This study assessed the nutritional status of children in selected communities in northern Ghana, to serve as baseline data for the Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) project that sought to improve farm-household nutrition through agriculture.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among children 0–59 months in selected communities in the Northern (Tibali and Cheyohi No. 2), Upper West (Goli and Zanko) and Upper East (Bonia and Sambulgu) regions of northern Ghana. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on background characteristics of caregivers and children. Weight and height were measured for children following World Health Organization (WHO) procedures and transformed into z-scores using the WHO Anthro.ResultsAll the caregivers (522) were females; majority (73.4 %) had no formal education, 82.7 % were married and 70.5 % engaged in farming. In all, 533 children were recruited: Northern region (38.6 %), Upper West (33.4 %) and Upper East (28.0 %). Majority (52.5 %) of the children were males. The mean age was 32 ± 19 months. Levels of stunting, underweight and wasting were 27.2, 17.6 and 8.2 % respectively. Stunting, underweight and wasting levels increased within the first two years of life. Overall, 33.8 % of the children in northern Ghana were malnourished; 20.2 % were from the Northern region, 7.0 and 6.8 % were from Upper East and Upper West respectively.ConclusionDifferent forms of malnutrition still exist as a public health problem in various communities in northern Ghana and need to be curtailed using effective agriculture-nutrition sensitive interventions.
Fish processing by-products and small pelagic fish could provide minerals and protein in diets of vulnerable populations as these could be more affordable than seafood. The study objectives were to determine the proximate nutrient content of tuna processing by-products and burrito fish and also assess the acceptability of fish powder-fortified local carbohydrate snacks. Tuna trimmings, gills, frames and burrito were dried at 55oC for eight hours to moisture levels of 4.8% (trimmings), 8.9% (frames), 6.8% (gills) and 6.9% (burrito). The products were milled and incorporated at varying levels into four local snacks namely: mpotompoto, yakayake, abolo and yam balls. Proximate nutrient levels of both fortified and non-fortified snacks were determined by Official Methods of Analysis (AOAC). Protein contents of mpotompoto-fortified fish products ranged from 3.75% to 8.5%. Ash also ranged from 1.12% to 5.54%. The control contained 1.17%. Acceptability tests were conducted on the fortified snacks using a 5-point hedonic scale. On the whole, fortified products showed significantly higher levels of protein and ash over the non-fortified snacks. Acceptance of the snacks by pupils (11-12) years was high enough to warrant incorporation of the fish powders into a school lunch menu.
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