An investigation in the draw-down area of Three-Gorge reservior: Food consumption and dietary nutrition in the urban and rural population and the nutritional status in children / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: At present, there are fewer studies on the monitoring of nutritional status of the residents living in the draw-down area of ThreeGorge reservoir.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the nutritional status and dietary pattern of the residents before the formation of the draw-down area of Three-Gorge reservoir, so as to provide basic data for the continuous dynamic surveillance of food and nutrition.DESIGN: A cross-sectional study.SETTING: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences.PARTICIPANTS: The investigation was carried out between February and March 2004 in the draw-down area of Three-Gorge reservoir with denser population, larger area and greater influence, such as Kaixian and Yunyang counties, etc. The first surveillance of food nutritional status of the residents in the draw-down area was performed in 52 urban families and 50 rural families of Kaixian county, one family member was voluntarily selected from each family, whose main duty was to buy vegetables and food. Totally 102 subjects (42 males and 60 females) were investigated in this study. At the same time, the data of physical examination and detection of blood Hb in children from Kaixian county between May 1999 and November 2003 were analyzed.METHODS: The subjects were investigated in their house with questionnaires. Their general condition of family, food consumption and dietary nutrition were surveyed and analyzed. Nutrients intake was assessed by 24-hour recall, combined with food consuming frequency questionnaire, the Engel index, which was an important index for the level of family consumption, was detected in both rural and urban residents. Engel index=cost in food/total family income×100%.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Amount of food consumption, intakes of energy and nutrients in residents of the draw-down area; ② Prevalence rate of low body mass and rate of growth retardation in children of the draw-down area.RESULTS: All the 102 residents of the draw-down area entered the analysis of results without deletion. ① Amount of food consumption in residents of the draw-down area Among the urban residents of the draw-down area, the per capita food consumption was 243 g per day, and the consumptions of vegetable, fruit and fish were lower than the average national level, but that of grease food showed a higher level. Among rural residents of Kaixian county, the per capita food consumption was 268 g per day, and the consumption of foodstuff was obviously decreased, but those of meet and grease food showed an ascending trend. ② Energy intake in residents of the draw-down area Among urban residents of Kaixian county, the per capita energy intake was 6 909 kJ per day, which was obviously lower than that in the urban residents of Chongqing city in 1998 and the average national urban level. The per capita energy intake in rural residents of Kaixian county was 7 577 kJ per day, which was 48.4% lower than that in the urban residents of Chongqing city in 1998 and 37% lower than the average national rural level. ③ Nutritional status in children of the draw-down area The incidence rate of low body mass in children younger than 5 years in 1999 was close to the average national level (9.6%), it was obviously decreased from 2000, and then fluctuated between 1.0% and 4.8%. Since 1999, the incidence rate of growth retardation in children younger than 5 years of Kaixian county showed a gradually descending trend, but anemia and other common diseases still kept a higher incidence rate, the detection rate of anemia was 33.5% in 1999, and decreased to 20.8% in 2003.CONCLUSION: The current nutritional status of the Kaixian people living in draw-down area of Three-Gorge reservoir still needs further improvement, and dynamic food and nutrition surveillance in succession is necessary.