Access to Information Technologies and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in South Africa: Evidence from Nationally Representative Data

Sinyolo, Sikhulumile; Ndinda, Catherine; Murendo, Conrad; Sinyolo, Sithembile A.; Neluheni, Mudzunga

doi:10.3390/ijerph17134880

Cited by 8 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 63 publications

(115 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the NIDS data do not allow us to analyze the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption per day, these figures suggest low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption, especially of fruits. Other studies have reported similarly low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption in South Africa [3,[50][51][52][53]. The proportion of farm households consuming vegetables has been on an increasing trend, except for a decline during wave 4 (2014-2015).…”

Section: Descriptive Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…South Africa, as with many countries in the developing world, faces significant food and nutrition challenges, which include persistent hunger, malnutrition, obesity, and non-communicable diseases [1][2][3][4]. On the one hand, the country faces undernutrition in young children, and on the other, there is a rising level of obesity in older children and adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These health concerns reflect and are rooted in South Africa's triple challenges of high unemployment, crippling poverty, and deep-rooted inequality, which continue to have implications for access to food and nutritional balance for many people. Most low-income households are restricted to a few food options consisting predominantly of starchy staples such as maize and bread, with limited consumption of fruits and vegetables [3,7]. Previous studies have also attributed these health challenges to South Africa's increasingly industrialized and concentrated food system and the expansion of supermarkets which have led to the availability of and easy access to cheap, highly processed foods in both rural and urban areas [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Farm Production Diversification and Dietary Diversity among Subsistence Farming Households: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Improving the production of a variety of foods by subsistence farmers has been identified as a key strategy for improving dietary diversity. However, there is limited evidence in South Africa on how one’s own production is linked to dietary diversity. This study relies on nationally representative panel data to investigate the extent to which farm production diversity is correlated with dietary diversity. The data indicated a moderate level of household dietary diversity that has been on a declining trend between 2008 and 2017. The farm households produced three food groups (meat, cereals, and vegetables), suggesting more reliance on food purchases than own production. The study found a positive relationship between own production diversification and dietary diversity and that dietary diversity varied by demographics and socio-economic characteristics of households. However, production diversity was not significantly associated with the consumption of micronutrient-rich foods such as fruits or vegetables. Higher levels of education, income per capita, food expenditure, and geographic location were some of the key drivers of dietary diversity among subsistence households. The findings suggest that encouraging subsistence farming households to produce various crop and animal species can be an effective strategy to improve dietary diversity among poor households in South Africa.

show abstract

Section: Descriptive Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Farm Production Diversification and Dietary Diversity among Subsistence Farming Households: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Seasonal differences in fruit, vegetable, and combined FV consumption or acquisition were investigated in eight studies (36,40,41,43,69,70,72,76). Six out of eight studies found significant differences in the quantity and frequency overall of vegetable consumption (36,41,43,69,70,72,76), followed by fruit (41,43,69,72,76) and combined FV (41,43,70) consumption among adults between seasons.…”

Section: Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase behavior of adults in sub-Saharan Africa: A rapid review

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, considerable dietary shifts, including an increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) will be required. However, worldwide consumption of FV is far below international recommendations, including in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa. Understanding what, where, when, and how people choose to eat requires an understanding of how individuals are influenced by factors in their social, physical, and macro-level environments. In order to develop effective interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, the factors influencing consumer behavior need to be better understood. We conducted a rapid review to assess and synthesize data on individual, social, physical, and macro-level factors that enable or constrain fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase among adults living in sub-Saharan Africa. Our conceptual framework is based on a socio-ecological model which has been adapted to settings in LMICs and Africa. We systematically searched four electronic databases including Scopus, Medline (PubMed), PsycInfo, and African Index Medicus, and screened Google Scholar for gray literature. We included a total of 52 studies and narratively summarized the existing evidence for each identified factor across the different levels. We found that most studies assessed demographic factors at the individual level including household or family income, socio-economic status and education. Furthermore we identified a variety of important factors that influence FV consumption, in the social, physical, and macro environment. These include women's empowerment and gender inequalities, the influence of neighborhood and retail food environment such as distance to market and price of FV as well as the importance of natural landscapes including forest areas for FV consumption. This review identified the need to develop and improve indicators both for exposure and outcome variables but also to diversify research approaches.

show abstract

“…Various studies show that the diet of the South African population, particularly children, is generally low in fruit and vegetables, and mostly consists of starch-based foods [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Despite numerous efforts to improve the nutritional status of South African children, stunting is the most common nutritional disorder similar to global trends in undernutrition [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional Status of Children 24–60 Months Attending Early Child Development Centres in a Semi-Rural Community in South Africa

Makanjana

Naicker

2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the numerous efforts to improve the nutritional status of children, a high prevalence of malnutrition still exists in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of children attending Early Child Development centres in South Africa. In this baseline study, we randomly selected two Early Child Development centres comprising 116 children aged 24–60 months, separated into two cohorts, of 24–47 months and 48–60 months. Dietary intake was measured through the 24 hDR and analysed using Food Finder software. The food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate the food variety and food group diversity scores. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the WHO Anthro software was used to convert it to nutritional data indices. Blood samples were collected through dried blood spot cards in order to determine serum retinol and haemoglobin levels and they were assessed using WHO indicators. The findings showed that participants between 24 and 47 months had a high mean energy intake (4906.2 kJ and 4997.9 kJ for girls and boys, respectively). For the 48–60 months age group, energy intake was lower than the EER (5936.4 kJ and 5621.2 kJ; p = 0.038). There was low fruit and vegetable consumption (24–47 months; 63.8 g and 69.5 g (p = 0.037), 48–60 months; 68.3 g and 74.4 g (p = 0.038) and the top five foods consumed were carbohydrate rich foods for girls and boys, respectively. Stunting was noted in 7% and 20% (48–60 months) (p = 0.012) and overweight in 8% and 17% (24–47 months) and 17% and 13% (48–60 months) (p = 0.041) in girls and boys, respectively. Low serum retinol levels (<0.070 µmol/L) were found in 9.1% of boys (24–47 months), and 8% and 7.4% of girls and boys (48–60 months), respectively. Low haemoglobin levels (<11.0 g/dL) were found in 50.0% and 30.4% (24–47 months) and 8.6% and 39.3% (48–60 months) of girls and boys, respectively. Malnutrition, despite many national and provincial initiatives, still exists in Early Childhood Development centres in South Africa, calling for the application of contextualized nutrition interventions to suit resource-poor settings.

show abstract

Access to Information Technologies and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in South Africa: Evidence from Nationally Representative Data

Cited by 8 publications

References 63 publications

Farm Production Diversification and Dietary Diversity among Subsistence Farming Households: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa

Farm Production Diversification and Dietary Diversity among Subsistence Farming Households: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa

Factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase behavior of adults in sub-Saharan Africa: A rapid review

Nutritional Status of Children 24–60 Months Attending Early Child Development Centres in a Semi-Rural Community in South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About