Purchased ready‐to‐eat foods are positively associated with children's animal source food intakes in rural Ghana

Abstract

Purchased ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods or street foods are a common part of children's diets in many countries. These foods may contribute to improving children's diet quality. We assessed the relationship between consumption of RTE foods and animal source food (ASF) intake by 2‐ to 5‐y‐old children in rural Ghana. Interviewers collected data on purchase of RTE foods in the past week (N=454). Children's total ASF intakes also were recorded. Among caregivers who had purchased RTE foods (N=370) in the past week, 36 % (N=133) of them had obtained the foods specifically for their 2‐ to 5‐y‐old child. There were no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers who purchased RTE foods for children and those who did not with respect to years of education completed, weekly income, household wealth rank, marital status, and occupation. Children who consumed RTE foods were significantly more likely to have eaten livestock meats, organ meats, chicken, and eggs in the past week compared to children who did not consume any RTE foods (P<0.05). Mean ASF diversity score was significantly higher for children who had consumed RTE foods in the last week compared to children whose diets did not include RTE foods (5.3 ± 2.2 vs. 4.7 ± 2.3; P<0.02). Purchased RTE foods may be an important source of ASF in young children's diets in rural Ghana. GL‐CRSP funded in part by USAID, Grant # PCE‐G‐00‐98‐00036‐00.