Enhancing Linkages Between Healthy Diets, Local Agriculture, and Sustainable Food Systems

Fernandes, Meenakshi Maria; Galloway, Rae; Gelli, Aulo; Mumuni, Daniel; Hamdani, Salha; Kiamba, Josephine; Quarshie, Kate; Bhatia, Rita; Aurino, Elisabetta; Peel, Francis; Drake, Lesley

doi:10.1177/0379572116659156

Cited by 28 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…This was contrary to the study observations in Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, where posters on nutrition education were observed in school kitchens and classrooms [34]. Furthermore, the research findings are different from the study observations in Ghana School Feeding Programme, where nutrition education was partly achieved through the use of posters and songs promoting healthy diet [11].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…One study in secondary schools in Nigeria observed that nutrition education songs had significant effect in improving adolescents' knowledge, attitude and practice of healthy eating [10]. Nutrition education in the Ghana School Feeding Programme was done using posters, songs promoting healthy diets and the meal planner tool enabled participants to learn about the nutrition value of locally available foods, and to determine the quantities of food stuffs to procure [11]. The Meal Planner Tool also enabled the planners to correctly estimate the quantity of food the caterer needs to prepare per child and maintains the quality of food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adolescents Nutrition Knowledge: A mixed methods Research.

Mafugu¹

2020

Preprint

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Background Poor nutrition has been associated with lack of nutrition education, which leads to chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and coronary artery diseases. The objectives of the study were to evaluate learners’ knowledge of nutrition education principles and to determine how the knowledge of nutrition principles could be improved among learners. Methods Mixed methods cross-sectional research with application of semi-structured face-to-face interviews and a structured questionnaire were used to collect data. Eight stake-holders participated in the qualitative component of the study while 108 learners from 8 different schools responded to the questionnaire. The qualitative data was analyzed by coding and categorizing the data into themes and sub-themes while the quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS yielding frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Results A significant proportion of learners lacked the nutrition knowledge due to the absence of health promotion campaigns in the schools and teaching of the nutrition principles was only limited to Life Science in the high school curriculum. Majority (56%) of the learners were taught nutrition education at primary school mainly in the Life Orientation curriculum while less than 2% were taught in grade 11 and 12. About 92% of the learners were not aware of the nutritional value of fruits, vegetables, milk and fats. Conclusions Incorporation of nutrition education in a compulsory subject in high school and in-school nutrition education sessions in school gatherings that involve various stakeholders is critical in improving the nutrition knowledge of stakeholders. Such interventions will assist in curbing diet related chronic diseases.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents Nutrition Knowledge: A mixed methods Research.

Mafugu¹

2020

Preprint

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“…Caterers are not allowed to serve >3 schools and their profits are made on margins after food procurement, preparation, and distribution. The school meal menus are designed at the district level to meet ∼30% of the recommended daily intake for children aged 6–12 y (21), and include foods grown by farmers in the community and the broader agroecological zone (22). School-level supervision on the quality of the service provision is provided by the School Implementing Committee.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A School Meals Program Implemented at Scale in Ghana Increases Height-for-Age during Midchildhood in Girls and in Children from Poor Households: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Gelli

Aurino

Folson

et al. 2019

The Journal of Nutrition

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Background Attention to nutrition during all phases of child and adolescent development is necessary to ensure healthy physical growth and to protect investments made earlier in life. Leveraging school meals programs as platforms to scale-up nutrition interventions is relevant as programs function in nearly every country in the world. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a large-scale school meals program in Ghana on school-age children's anthropometry indicators. Methods A longitudinal cluster randomized control trial was implemented across the 10 regions of Ghana, covering 2869 school-age children (aged 5–15 y). Communities were randomly assigned to 1) control group without intervention or 2) treatment group providing the reformed national school feeding program, providing 1 hot meal/d in public primary schools. Primary outcomes included height-for-age (HAZ) and BMI-for-age (BAZ) z scores. The analysis followed an intention-to-treat approach as per the published protocol for the study population and subgroup analysis by age (i.e., midchildhood for children 5–8 y and early adolescence for children 9–15 y), gender, poverty, and region of residence. We used single-difference ANCOVA with mixed-effect regression models to assess program impacts. Results School meals had no effect on HAZ and BAZ in children aged 5–15 y. However, in per-protocol subgroup analysis, the school feeding intervention improved HAZ in 5- to 8-y-old children (effect size: 0.12 SDs), in girls (effect size: 0.12 SDs)—particularly girls aged 5–8 y living in the northern regions, and in children aged 5–8 y in households living below the poverty line (effect size: 0.22 SDs). There was also evidence that the intervention influenced food allocation and sharing at the household level. Conclusion School meals can provide a platform to scale-up nutrition interventions in the early primary school years, with important benefits accruing for more disadvantaged children. This trial was registered at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN66918874.

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“…Menus were developed using a tool known as the School Meals Planner (Partnership for Child Development 2014; Fernandes et al 2016). The tool supports the design of menus that link dishes with the types and quantities (in grams) of each individual food.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home-grown school feeding: promoting local production systems diversification through nutrition sensitive agriculture

Singh

Fernandes

2018

Food Sec.

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The consumption of some non-staple crops such as legumes and dark, green leafy vegetables can address common deficiencies in key nutrients such as vitamin A and iron; however, limited markets and supply chain development impede their production and accessibility to consumers. This study investigates the pathways to promote agricultural production and dietary diversity for a local market intervention called Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF). School feeding menus from 24 districts across 10 regions in Ghana during the 2014-15 school year were analysed in terms of food groups and several individual foods. The menus were then compared with food groups produced by households during the past year or consumed in the past seven days using data collected from a household survey. Greater inter-food group diversity in the menus was associated with higher production levels for tubers and dark, leafy green vegetables in the South and cereals in the North. A correspondence between the frequency in which a food group appeared in a menu and the share of households who consumed foods from the food group was also noted. Key issues, such as optimizing supply chains, enabling farm linkages and supporting diverse nutrient rich food groups, that underlie the success of Home-Grown School Feeding and other agricultural policies with similar goals of promoting production and dietary diversity are highlighted through commodity specific examples. The findings of this study may help strengthen operational linkages between agriculture production and nutrition for HGSF and other similar interventions.

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Enhancing Linkages Between Healthy Diets, Local Agriculture, and Sustainable Food Systems

Abstract: The School Meals Planner Package supported the design of nutritious, locally sourced menus for the school feeding program in Ghana. The tool can be similarly adapted for other countries to meet context-specific needs.

Cited by 28 publications

References 12 publications

Adolescents Nutrition Knowledge: A mixed methods Research.

Adolescents Nutrition Knowledge: A mixed methods Research.

A School Meals Program Implemented at Scale in Ghana Increases Height-for-Age during Midchildhood in Girls and in Children from Poor Households: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Home-grown school feeding: promoting local production systems diversification through nutrition sensitive agriculture

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